Publishing Advice From Writing Expert Bob Bly: An Interview By RainToday.com

RainToday: First, I'd like ask what inspired you to write your first book. How did you come up with the initial idea and why did you decide to write it? What were your goals and how did they change over time?

Bob Bly: In general, I'm a writer and most writers want to write books, including me. I've always loved books and wanted to write a book.

But, specifically for my first book, now called Elements of Technical Writing, the thing that inspired me was my work as a technical writer for Westinghouse and, as I was working, I realized that the style guides, which were produced for English students and people who wrote ordinary prose, didn't cover a lot of the issues that technical writers needed to know.

I wrote the book to fill the gap so that I, and everyone else that was writing technical material, would have authoritative answers to style, grammar, and usage questions that neededed to be resolved.

My main goal was to get a book published. I thought that it would be very exciting and would fulfill several writerly instincts and needs within me. I wanted to be a published author. I was working for a company at the time, so I didn't think it would advance my career; my company couldn't care less.

I had moved to another firm where I also wrote technical marketing materials. I thought that there was a need for the book, so my objective was to give an easy-to-use style guide for people who wrote about technical subjects. Those were the only two real goals in my mind. It had nothing to do with advancing my career because I knew it wouldn't.

As the book was being prepared for release, I quit that job and became self-employed as a freelance copywriter in 1982, which I still am today. Suddenly, having the book took on a whole new meaning. Now, this book would be my credential as a copywriter. There weren't a lot of copywriters at the time, but I wanted to be the one specializing in technical material.

When I met with clients and they said “I want to hire you,” and wanted to see samples of my writing, I would pull out a copy of my book and give it to them.

My goal transformed from just a focus on the reader and wanting to be a published author, to the book becoming a credential, a calling card, and a means of getting business for my freelance writing. I thought, “By getting the book published, I will further establish myself as a recognized expert in my field, which is marketing, and will therefore accelerate my career; my business will become more successful because I wrote the book.”

You know the old expression that you see people use; “We wrote the book on the subject”? Well, now I was the guy that wrote the book on the subject. I thought by having these various business books published, it would accelerate and enhance my career, and that's exactly what it did.

I did write books that I wanted to do for fun and amusement or compulsion that had nothing to do with my career, and I did publish them. In that case, I did it because it was a book that I thought I might enjoy and therefore thought others might enjoy too.

RainToday: I know you have published your books with Henry Holt and Career Press. Could you tell me about your experience working with these publishers? How much do you think publisher reputation affects the success of a business book?

Bob Bly: The reader, the buyer, does not care who the publisher is. The fact that it's Warner's vs. McGraw Hill vs. Clap Tree Press doesn't matter at all to the book buyer.

The publisher does matter when you're promoting yourself as a consultant or a self-employed professional to potential clients because they're impressed when you say you have books published by McGraw Hill. If you say that you've had books published by Clap Tree Press, they think you've self-published it and they won't be impressed.

It matters when you're using it as a marketing tool for yourself, but not to the book buyer out on the street. And of course, it matters for distribution--the bigger publishers have sales representatives and can get the book in stores, and it'll sell.

Read more of our interview with Bob Bly, including his advice on:

• Working with publishers
• Co-authorship
• Best strategies for managing your time while writing a book
• Most and least effective book marketing tactics
• Tangible and intangible benefits received after writing a book
• The effects after writing your first book compared to the effects after writing many books
• The revenue received from royalties and from indirect business
• The most challenging aspect of publishing a book and how to overcome it
• Tips to help aspiring business book authors succeed