Writers Needed for LANWrights
Book Projects

LANWrights Contacts:

DR = Dawn Rader (drader@austin.rr.com, 512-252-7497)

KL = Kim Lindros (klindros@sbcglobal.net, 512-250-0105)

MB = Mary Burmeister (marymary@austin.rr.com, 512-252-7497)

Author fees (subject to change depending on the type and length of book): $20+/final typeset pg for works for hire; $8-$15/pg plus royalties for royalty-based projects. Note: Writers must generally contribute 25% or more to a manuscript to qualify for royalties at LANWrights, or by special agreement for lower amounts.

Technical editor fees: Generally $3/pg; LANWrights recommends technical editors to the publisher—the publisher hires tech editors directly, creates a schedule, and oversees the work.

*Type of book:

• All-in-One: A new member of the …For Dummies family of books from Hungry Minds, All-in-One References bundle short, focused detail references on anywhere from five to nine topics in a single volume, designed for use as a desk or keyboard reference when working on specific subjects. [Hungry Minds]
  
  
• Business Guide: The books are 175 to 225 pages long, total (including front and back matter, indicating actual content of 160 to 180 pages). The audience is non-technical managers who seek to understand business implications, requirements, costs, and considerations when investigating and deploying security technologies. Part of a successful series of business-oriented, management-focused IT security titles. [Prentice Hall]
  
  
• Dummies: The popular well-known …For Dummies series already includes numerous titles from LANWrights authors, including books on HTML, XHTML, XML, NetWare, Windows NT, and Windows 2000. Altogether, we’ve completed more than 20 editions of 8 individual Dummies titles for Hungry Minds. [Hungry Minds]
  
  
• Exam Cram: An Exam Cram is a detailed supplement to a certification study guide. These books generally run between 250 and 500 pages, and author first submissions are usually completed in a 8 to 12-week schedule. LANWrights usually has 1 or 2 writers working on an Exam Cram. [Que Certification]
  
  
• How-To and IT Guide: How-To and IT guides are short documents about a specific equipment type, technology, or process (e.g., PDAs, document imaging, or managing printer supplies). How-To (aka business) guides are semi-technical and run 8 to 10 pages; IT guides are technical in nature and run 10 to 12 pages. Author first submissions are usually completed in 1 week to 10 days. [Corporate client]
  
  
• Training Guide/Study Guide/Main textbook: A main (or core) textbook provides complete, in-depth coverage of the subject matter and any background necessary to understand and master the exam objectives and related exam questions. These books generally run between 500 and 800 pages, and author first submissions are usually completed in a 16- to 24-week schedule. LANWrights usually has two or three writers working on such titles. Writing loads normally consist of 25 pages per week, for a workload of about 25 hours per week. [New Riders/Que Certification/Sybex]
  
  
• Markup book: LANWrights regularly writes books about XML, XHTML, HTML, and related markup languages. Recently, we’ve published on XHTML for New Riders, Sybex, and Hungry Minds, and on XML for Sybex books. We have an ongoing stream of such books for various publishers, including Prentice Hall in addition to the publishers already mentioned. [Prentice Hall]

**Author Roles:

• Co-author: A writer who contracts to deliver some specific portion of a book, who will be paid according to his or her contributions. Co-authors may qualify for cover credit and/or royalties, depending on their overall project contributions.
  
  
• Backup author: A writer who agrees to accept a modest fee (usually under $200) in exchange for holding her- or himself available to work on a project if any co-author needs help. Backup authors keep their retainer if they do no backup work, but if they get involved in a project, that retainer counts toward payment for actual work performed.
  
  
• Lead author: Not only meets co-author requirements, but also helps with outlining a book, answering technical and structural questions for fellow project members, and chipping in to handle elements that other authors decline to handle. Lead authors typically qualify for extra payment and royalties.

Note: Authors are required to participate in an author review stage, which usually begins about halfway through the author first submission stage. Author review includes answering queries from tech editors and development editors, and reconciling error summary reports.

*** All actual project launch dates are determined by the publisher; dates presented here are best guesses. Consult the designated contact for more information.

Non-Disclosure Agreement:

If you inquire about a book project, that information is under a Non-Disclosure Agreement with the publisher. You are obliged to honor LANWrights' parent company's (iLearning's) non-disclosure agreement regarding work considered or undertaken under this agreement. That is, you may not divulge or disclose anything about the work considered or undertaken, nor divulge the nature, substance, details, timing, contents, or other material information relevant to the work. All communications about the project should be restricted only to other individuals bound by a similar NDA; specifically, to employees of LANWrights, iLearning, or other authorized third parties and contractors made known to you through one of these other parties as being bound by NDA as well. All information about the work must be held in confidence until one year after any related publications or work products are released for public consumption.

URL: http://www.lanw.com/writersneeded.htm
Layout, design & revisions © 1997-2003 LANWrights, Inc.
Contact LANWrights
Revised content -- February 26, 2004 [KAL]
Revised -- February 18, 2003 [MCB]