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>Actually, I'm a computer book author with a proposal out on
>this very subject. . . . .
>
> My proposal is for an end-user book on speech recognition.
> The proposal has been out for about 3 months, with nothing
>more than nibbles.
>Right now, my proposal is being rejected because the
>publishers do not think there's enough of a market for the
>book.
*********************
Hi, Steve.
I'm a teacher who started a publishing company a few years ago with the
idea of producing books to demand for small markets that might not
otherwise be served because the big publishers don't want to invest in
something that doesn't fit mass marketing.
I'm interested in your book if you can't interest the mass-market people.
I think you have a built-in market niche here if the book is
reasonably-priced and practical.
Books from Science & Humanities Press include
"How to Travel--A Guidebook for Persons With A Disability" by Fred Rosen;
"Behind the Desk Workout" by Joan Guccione, OTR/C,CHT on repetitive motion
injuries and exercises to reduce risk.
I also produce a paperback version of the Eudora Light Manual by agreement
with Qualcomm.
You can read about these at my website,
http://banis-associates.com
to get an idea of the mission.
I developed publishing capability originally for my teaching materials.
I bought NaturallySpeaking because of interest in repetitive motion
injuries, disabilities, application to teaching, and to help with my own
writing.
My approach is partnership with the authors where they contribute the
material and I contribute design and production. Initial Production to
demand means we avoid a large cash commitment to printing.
As I'm learning more about the publishing business, I see that
mass-distribution frequently results in big expenditures up-front, Large
discounts to, and very slow payment from, distributors, and a large risk of
devastating returns over a period of time.
That's why big publishers are hesitant to commit to books that might be
very viable and sorely needed.
Production to demand and sales on the Internet can change all that. I am
also able to sell through barnesandnoble.com (affiliate), and amazon.com,
without financing their stores.
Initial publication this way doesn't limit and may facilitate later
mass-introduction. If the book rolls and later interests a larger
publisher who is willing to take the mass-distribution risk, it could be
published that way.
I wouldn't recommend self-publishing for a mass market, because you could
really take a financial beating.
Technical books are especially important to produce rapidly and limit risk
of obsolete inventory, so I think printing to demand may be a very useful
approach here.
If you're interested, let me know and we could explore it.
Regards,
Bud
Dr. Bud Banis
Science & Humanities Press
314-394-4950
http://banis-associates.com
banis@@banis-associates.com
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