Writing a textbook Louis Gary Lamit

Writing a textbook

Louis Gary Lamit • Gary Lamit (lamitgary@fhda. edu) • 24 th year at De Anza (1984), CDI CAD • 37 years teaching (1971) HS, JH, Technical school, Technical College, CC, Engineering College, State University • • 41 years in field of expertise (engineering graphics and design) (1966) Industry experience • 30 publications (Prentice Hall, Merrill, West, Simon and Schuster, PWS, Books Cole, Thomson Engineering, ITP, Delmar, Mobi. Pocket Book, Book. Surge) • 10 engineering and design fields (Piping, Electronics, Industrial Model Building, CADD, Descriptive Geometry, drafting, Engineering and Design, Pro/ENGINEER )

Biography • Biography- from website • Louis Gary Lamit is currently a full time instructor and department head at De Anza College in Cupertino, California, where he teaches Pro/ENGINEER, Pro/SURFACE, Pro/SHEETMETAL, Pro/NC, and Expert Machinist, and Unigraphics NX. Mr. Lamit is one of the founding members of Scholarships for Veterans, a not for profit organization awarding community college scholarships to recent veterans in Santa Clara Valley. Mr. Lamit has worked as a drafter, designer, numerical control (NC) programmer, technical illustrator, and engineer in the automotive, aircraft, and piping industries. A majority of his work experience is in the area of mechanical and piping design. He started as a drafter in Detroit (as a job shopper) in the automobile industry, doing tooling, dies, jigs and fixture layout, and detailing at Koltanbar Engineering, Tool Engineering, Time Engineering, and Premier Engineering for Chrysler, Ford, AMC, and Fisher Body. He has worked at Remington Arms and Pratt & Whitney Aircraft as a designer, and at Boeing Aircraft and Kollmorgan Optics as an NC programmer and aircraft engineer. He also owns and operates his own consulting and training firm, and has been involved with advertising, and patent illustration. He is the author of over 30 textbooks, workbooks, tutorials, and handbooks. Mr. Lamit received a BS degree from Western Michigan University in 1970 and did Masters’ work at Wayne State University and Michigan State University. He has also done graduate work at the University of California at Berkeley and holds an NC programming certificate from Boeing Aircraft. Since leaving industry, he has taught at all levels (Melby Junior High School, Warren, Michigan; Carroll County Vocational Technical School, Carrollton, Georgia; Heald Engineering College, San Francisco, California; Cogswell Polytechnical College, San Francisco and Cupertino, California; Mission College, Santa Clara, California; Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California; Northern Kentucky University, Highland Heights, Kentucky; and De Anza College, Cupertino, California).

My Publications • • Industrial Model Building, with Engineering Model Associates, Inc. (1981), Prentice-Hall. Piping Drafting and Design (1981), Prentice-Hall. Piping Drafting and Design Workbook (1981), Prentice-Hall. Descriptive Geometry (1983), Prentice-Hall. Descriptive Geometry Workbook (1983), Prentice-Hall. Pipe Fitting and Piping Handbook (1984), Prentice-Hall. Drafting for Electronics, (3 rd edition, 1998), Charles Merrill (Macmillan-Prentice-Hall Publishing). Drafting for Electronics Workbook (2 nd edition 1992) Charles Merrill (Macmillan-Prentice-Hall Publishing). CADD, (1987), Charles Merrill (Macmillan-Prentice-Hall Publishing). Technical Drawing and Design (1994), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Technical Drawing and Design Worksheets and Problem Sheets (1994), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Principles of Engineering Drawing, (1994), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Fundamentals of Engineering Graphics and Design, (1997), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Engineering Graphics and Design with Graphical Analysis (1997), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Engineering Graphics and Design Worksheets and Problem Sheets (1997), West Publishing (ITP/Delmar). Basic Pro/ENGINEER in 20 Lessons (1998) (Revision 18), PWS Publishing (ITP). Basic Pro/ENGINEER (with references to PT/Modeler) (1999) (Revision 19 and PT/Modeler), PWS Publishing (ITP). Pro/ENGINEER 2000 i (1999) (Revision 2000 i), Brooks/Cole Publishing (ITP). Pro/ENGINEER 2000 i 2 (includes Pro/NC and Pro/SHEETMETAL) (2000) (Revision 2000 i 2), Brooks/Cole Publishing (ITP). IX Design CD Text, Impact. Xoft. Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire(2003), Brooks/Cole Publishing (ITP). Introduction to Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2. 0 (2004), SDC Publishing. Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3. 0 (2006), Thomson Engineering (ITP) Moving from 2 D to 3 D CAD for Engineering Design (2007) Book. Surge Moving from 2 D to 3 D CAD for Engineering Design (2007) Mobi. Pocket e. Book Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 3. 0 Tutorial (2007) Book. Surge

You and your writing • Why do you want to write a book? • Mantelpiece book, author, or writer? – Being an author or someone who “wrote a book” – Being a “writer” (sleep- what’s that? ) • So you want to get rich? • Self promotion- who are you? • PAA benefits to writing • Personal affects- time, money, family, dog time – Discuss with your spouse (no dear I am not surfing the web) – Talk with your children (your Billy my second child- correct? ) – Explain to your dog (cats don’t go for walks)

Publications about the process: • Writing and Developing Your College Textbook • Getting It Published: • Handbook for Academic Authors

Co-authors • The good- great asset when they mesh with you and your ways • The bad- will they ever get their fair share done? – Pressure by publisher to add someone for “special” reasons • The ugly- conflicts

Colleagues • • • The good- the supportive- your boss, and co-workers The bad- professional jealousy – Be prepared – Administrators (stars versus the moon) – Co-workers Your age Your expertise Do not let your colleagues and co-workers pressure you to give away your royalties. – Let them work 5, 000 hours and donate their income. – If you want to channel some royalties into a good cause start your own scholarship fund with FHDA foundation SFV (www. scholarshipsforveterans. org)

The proposal should consist of: • • • The Book Title The proposed title and sub-title of the book. A Brief Description of the Project’s Scope and Content Provide a description of what makes your project distinctive. Explain how it will benefit the teacher and student, and also include information about the topic coverage, important features, major themes or approach. Table of Contents The subheadings will provide a feel for the depth of the project and its approach. Sample Chapters Two sample chapters that are integral to your project. Additional Information Indicate how long you expect the project to be overall (in number of words or printed pages). Also, please indicate if you envisage using illustrations, such as tables, charts, photographs etc and if so, approximately how many.

Things to do and get: • • • Research existing materials- use the web Review all of competitors Computer/laptop Software- WORD, captures- SNAGIT, application software Build a website dedicated to your book Proposal – 3 chapters • Reviews – Why your book has a market – How your book differs from the competition – Basic overview of what other books lack and how your book will be better – Length, size, and color of proposed book – Timetable

Tax deductions are your friends • Deduct the air you breath – Equipment- in the year incurred – Are you an (author or writer? ) – Phone- mobile- land lines – Computers, printers, etc. – Gas- vehicle upkeep – Do not deduct business use of home – Do deduct % of home used- utilities- all

Specifications and parameters • Page count- length – • • Text vs. illustration content Copyrighted material – – • • • Fair usage Permission forms Charts and graphs Format – 8 1/2 x 11, 5 x 9, etc. Full color vs. BW, or with color insert Hard vs. soft cover or both EBook CD book (example, IX Design) How many illustrations, charts, graphs How many photos The paper, the leading, the type font Cover design- who does it, who controls it – – – • • Writing is about exclusion more than inclusion Traditional publishers EBook Self-publishing (Book. Surge) Do not give your students “discounts” Determining the cost of the book- – – Publisher and profits Why books are expensive • • • Bookstore Gov regulation Tax structure

Supplementary Items • • • Problem sets, sheets, workbooks Project sets, sheets, workbooks Exercise sets, sheets, workbooks On line materials: projects- exercises- Instructors guides Solutions manual CD inserts Did the contact have these items hidden in them Will they pay me?

Make a web site

Permission forms 1. What can go wrong- West-Delmar 2. Complaints and threats

Contracts

Contracts and you • Editors and publishers – Internal and imprint competition at publishers • Time line- be realistic • Royalty percent- 15%normal – Domestic, foreign, trade sales- percentages • Trade books- will there be a substantial market? • Try and get strait percentage on all sales. – Advance- taken back from first royalty checks – Translations- foreign languages- percent? , lump sum? • • Grants- money not returned (good for expenses- equipment, software, research, etc. ) Supplementary materials- who generates them and at what cost? Workbooks, projects, exercises, on line support materials, solutions manuals Revision cycle- how often? , new version? , or new book? Software books are different than academic books. Contract leverage will depend on – Your field – Potential sales – Your previous writing experiences Out of print books – Your copyright – What happen to my book(s)? When companies buy companies. • • •

Traditional Publishers: • • • Brown & Benchmark Publishers Houghton Mifflin Harper. Collins Prentice-Hall W. W. Norton Dushkin Publishing Little Brown Harcourt Brace and Jovanovich Worth Publishers, Inc Mc. Graw-Hill Publishers International Thomson

Self-publishing Ebooks • Mobi. Pocket Books www. mobipocket. com Printed Books • Book. Surge www. booksurge. com

Addendums • • • Upon signing Grants Advances

Reviews • • Thick skin Usefulness

Royalties • • When How much Retiring to Tahiti Divorces

Copyright assignment • • Getting your copyright back Out of print

Copyright • • • Out of print Book. Surge Mobi. Pocket