No go on second book proposal

I got word from the publisher of my first book that they're not interested in the proposal for my second. That's a real bummer. They say it wouldn't stand out enough, despite the fact that it had an endorsement from someone inside of Microsoft.

I partly think that maybe the marketing folks just aren't in touch enough to understand why they're wrong. That's not so much their fault as much as it is mine for not pitching the concept in terms they would understand. The book is essentially an end-to-end case study book that follows the development of a product from idea to publication, including requirements, design, how to do test-driven development and solutions to at least a half-dozen problems that you encounter in practically every app.

Oh well... I'll keep pitching to other publishers and she what happens. One way or another, I'm going to get it "out there" even if I have to publish it myself. It's a natural next step to my first book.

3 Comments

  • Sounds like it's very much what's in very short supply -- books that are based on reality, not best case scenarios, that communicates best practices for real world issues. Good luck!

  • "and she what happens"

    Jeff, that's a cool freudian typo. Who's the she? ;)



    About your book proposal: most books are about scratching the surface of a new tech in 300 or so pages and explain the basic things. However often they aren't that useful in day to day development. Your proposal would be a great way to show how software development works in real life.

  • It might be that this is not the "right time" for such a book because I am sure we will be seeing a wave of .NET 2.0 reference books hitting the shelves in the not too distant future. You may want to re-pitch the idea in a few months.



    Personally, I love "real-world" books and spend much more money on those than reference books. However, I am not sure where the book companies make their money.

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