×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Working on a Book...Any Advice?
6

Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
I am working on an engineering book and am just looking for any advice/ideas/etc.

I am not sure is how to create the final product and what software to use (currently using MS Word and will convert to PDF).  But that can get pretty clunky at times with pictures, etc.  Perhaps there is a better solution?  If not, the Word approach is good enough probably.

My current approach is to construct notes and work with fellow engineers on the content, then to formalize it into a final product.  I plan on self publishing.

Other than that, any type of advice is appreciated.  I don't know if this is exactly the right sub-forum for this, but could not find anything more relevant.

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

ESPcomposites, good for you!

What will be the topic?

If I was so ambitious as to write a book I would consult with another author(s) of a technical book for advice and software suggestions.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

FrameMaker has been replaced with PageMaker.  It's what the pros use for preparing stuff for publication.

It is not intuitive to learn or use.  It's not cheap.

 

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

At a reunion, I attended a lecture by a literature professor who had written several books about poetry (the school has gone soft), authored directly in PostScript, using a very primitive but free text editor.

All the engineers in the audience thought he was nuts.  Even then, you could use a word processor to generate Acrobat files.

 

Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
I had a look and just remembered that the printing company had some suggestions: Indesign or Quark.

It looks like pagemaker is now Indesign so that and Quark may be good options.  I will probably choose one of those, but perhaps the Adobe one will play nice with other Adobe programs.  

I think many authors give the manuscript to a publisher so they don't have to worry about that part.  But I don't really want to do that because I want more control over the final product.

 

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
It looks like Framemaker is its own product, while pagemaker is replaced by Indesign.  Trying to understand the plethora of Adobe products is a challenge by itself (still learning some of them).  I will give them a call and see what would be the best fit.  My other concern is getting an equation editor to go with it.  It looks like that may be a separate software.  Wow, the cost really starts to add up with these Adobe products.

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I just finished my first novel....
It went so well that I'm considering reading another.


If you have the right kind of personality, you may really enjoy using TEX, LaTEX, or PCTEX.

You can get it all for free.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Do you have a publisher?  Most of the time, that stuff is handled by the publisher...you submit your manuscript in MS Word or WordPerfect and they take care of the formatting, photos, tables, etc.

If you book will be self-published, then you will probably need something a bit more robust than MS Word alone...there are many out there as noted...MS Publisher is another one.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

scribus is supposed to be a good one, it's open source.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

2
When you get to the end, stop!

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

TheTick...that's good advice on a variety of fronts!!

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

When done - have some other engineer who may not (is not) an expert in your field review it.  Have him check the formulaes and math.

IF he can get through it without too many questions - it may be getting close enough to publish.

I just hate engineering books written by an expert that leave out vast areas of explanation (because he already knows it) and/or has horibble math formuals and/or mistakes.

By horrible - I mean they just pull the formula out of their butts and forge onward - sometimes making math mistakes along the way.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
My plan has been to self publish, but I am rethinking that a bit due to the heavy workload.  If I get a publisher, I fear that (a) it won't come out the way I want it, (b) lose control over the final product, (c) the cost may exceed the threshold of many people's budget.

The book is on practical stress analysis of composites.  I plan on modeling it after what Flabel's well written book that he self published:

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Stress-Analysis-Design-Engineers/dp/0964701405/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1290093029&sr=8-1

As far as software goes, I suppose I can put it all together in Word and then convert it later, so maybe it is a bit premature to worry about.  But I like to see a clear path to completion before I get involved in a project.  The equations may be the most difficult part since those probably won't be a copy/paste (i.e. you don't want a converted picture file).

I am somewhat familiar with LaTEX, but not good enough to really go for it.  Scribus doesn't seem up my alley.  I don't mind paying for good software if that is what is necessary.

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
Mike,

I share your sentiment.  I am working with a few young engineers and the trade we make is that I show them the ropes and they help with the content.  They have been very insightful as to what they would like to see.  

As far as equations go, it is very important (and difficult) to get them all correct.  This is one reason why I have developed software and have been documenting it along the way (on my website).  I have found some errors in popular references, and will present the proper equations in my book.   

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I have a book in the planning stage. It was suggested by a successful author to publish a magazine article first to get the attention of publishers, which I have done. This may help you avoid the cost of vanity press publishing.

The title? 'The National Airline Academy, long overdue.'

Certified Flight Instructor, ret and PE, ret.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I recommend putting in the time to get up to speed with LaTEX. It is so worth it - you will avoid many headaches later in the writing process.

xnuke
"Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life." Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged.
Please see FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I wrote a book and had it published by a leading company in the Technical book field.  I was very satisfied in the way they treated me and my project.

Piping Engineering Leadership for Process Plant Projects
    James O. Pennock
    Gulf Professional Publishing
    ISBN 0-88415-347-9

I have gotten a few negative comments from people who purchased the book but for each negative comment I received at least 10 more positive response.  

Above all I did it for my own reasons and I am happy now that I did it.

Good luck to you and your book.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Plasgears -

Any link to that publication - sounds very interesting as I too have done some flying.

Thanks

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
I don't use a Mac, but sometimes I think I should.

It looks like the front runners are:
Framemaker
Quark + MathMagic (for equations)
InDesign + MathMagic

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

ESPcomposites,

   I vote for LaTeX too.  Note only does it do very attractive typesetting, it has excellent math support.  You can make attractive printouts.  You can output to PDF, with an interactive table of contents.  You can install latex2html, and output your book as a web page.  

   You need a good book on it.  I strongly recommend A Guide to LaTeX 2e - Document Preparation for Beginners and Advanced Users by Helmut Kopka and Patrick W. Daly.

               JHG

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?


Hi ESPcomposites,

I would look into Lyx, it seems like it would do the job for you and it's free.

Regards,
 

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Re self-publishing, it is probably easier, and lower entry costs, to publish as an e-book and make it available thru Amazon or similar large distributors.  They will take their cut of your sales, but you avoid the cut being taken by two or three other middlemen.   

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
I looked into LaTeX while working on my dissertation, but it was not really for me.  I think it is a good option and if I would have bit the bullet and learned it, maybe it would work.  But now, time is a premium and it probably is not worth the trade of learning it.   

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I considered authoring too.

When it's done, I'd send a copy to the US Gov copyright office and get a formal record of the copyright protection.

I think it's important to be able to state an objective or message or reason or target niche for the book up front.

Make sure you don't use anybody's graphics or photos without permission.

I'd worry about the publishing software last. Write it in word for easy word processing and reformat later.

Understand if it's for training or a desk reference the organization should be very different.

Good luck.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I am not familiar with Framemaker, and have not looked at what it is intended for.  With regards to Quark and Indesign (yes, this is the replacement for Painmaker), my wife has, and uses, both on a daily basis.

Keep in mind, these are both professional grade products, and therefor have a multitude of features that you pay for, but most likely will not use.  The wife has basically switched over to Indesign, using Adobe's Creative Suite package, and seems to like it more than Quark at this point.

One thing to consider before dropping the cash on the program would be to hire a Graphic Designer to do the layout for you.  Just type up the content in Word, and let them drop it in, along with the graphics. It would save you time, and you can still have control over the product.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

I can totally recommend LaTeX, my wife looks great in it.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
Thanks for all the help!

My conclusion is to go with InDesign + (MathMagic or MathType or InMath).

However, I am not going to do the production part as I originally intended.  Instead, I decided to have a professional handle it.  I will supply him with the content, but work with him to insure it has the desired result.  This will enable me to focus my efforts on the content and not get side tracked.  I was surprised at how affordable this is and it takes a tremendous burden off my plate.

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Mike,
I have been pursuing this for a number of years ever since the disasters attributable to the 1978 dereg of the airlines. Dereg led to a number of degradations in experience, equipment, and mgt. The worst example is the crash of Colgan / Continental near Buffalo last year. Flying Magazine has good coverage in several 2010 issues.

The Merchant Marine Academy was established after a cruise ship disaster costing 300+ lives. [see Morro Castle, 1935] Having been a flight instructor, I have an inside view of the business, and the conclusion is that the airlines need to upgrade to professional mgt, pilots trained thru competitive entry in a national airline academy for accelerated training vs. long hrs in little airplanes, and well engineered US built small airliners.

I released a detailed article to a national magazine and hope to gain national attention thru that venue. The goal is completion of a book, promotion of the concept in all venues, and execution of the plan. The academy would be a multi-location national institution with competitive entry for US citizens, rapid evolution from small airplanes to twin jets within 4 yrs, and a curriculum of applied engineering university level academics.

What we have today is a plethora of trade schools with open enrollment, and the main emphasis is on bringing big money for hundreds of hrs of little airplane training. The handwriting is on the wall: Present small airliners are not doing the job, and we are accumulating hundreds of tombstones in the process. The public deserves better.

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

Find someone willing and able to be your editor, which may be difficult for a book of this nature.  

Also, it would probably be helpful to have a group of sample readers from your target market give you feedback before going to print.

Good for you, and good luck!

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

(OP)
Mike,

Thanks.  Got that part covered.  I was lucky enough to find someone who has done NASA technical reports.  

I also have a group of entry level engineers who will review it as well as several experts who have offered their help.

Brian
www.espcomposites.com

RE: Working on a Book...Any Advice?

My university professors who wrote their own textbooks used LaTeX.  I haven't used it personally so can't give any direct advice.  Good luck.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources