[Python-authors] Author Python Book - Packt Publishing

Fri Dec 18 13:30:07 CET 2009

2009/12/18 Sunny Kansara <sunnyk at packtpub.com>

>  *Hi Everyone,
>
> I see a lot of questions been raised by authors before taking up a writing
> project. We have a crystal clear working style at Packt and we have made our
> royalty public as well which means we do not negotiate it and we do not
> hesitate to say it on public platforms.
>
> 16% royalty is given to authors on the net revenue generated from that
> book.
> *
>

What do you mean by "net revenue"? When I wrote IronPython in Action for
Manning the royalty was 10% of *gross revenue* to Manning (so 10% of what
they made from each sale - which is not the same amount as book sellers sold
it to the end customer). It seems to me that 16% of net may be a lot less
than 10% of gross depending on how it is calculated...

All the best,

Michael Foord

> *
> We have a complete team of editors, production and marketing people which
> means author get full support from Packt from beginning to end. We do not
> ask them to go and come back when the book is ready. The sale of the books
> is as important to Packt as it is to the author.
>
>
> To give you an idea about the way things works at Packt:
>
> - The editorial team at Packt works with the author through out the
> project.
> - We pay a royalty of 16% and an advance against it.
> - The marketing team at Packt ensures that the book is well promoted.
> - In its ongoing commitment to OpenSource, Packt donates a percentage of
> revenue generated by the book to the OpenSource project on which it is
> based. We have donated more than 100 000 dollars to various OpenSource
> projects since inception in 2004.
>
> If anybody is interested in writing or has further questions then please
> contact me directly and I will be happy to discuss them.
>
> Thanks,
> Sunny <sunnyk at packtpub.com> <sunnyk at packtpub.com>*
> --
> *Sunny Kansara*
> Author Relationship Executive
> Packt Publishing
> www.PacktPub.com
> Skype: sunnyk
> MSN: sunny_packt at hotmail.com
> Interested in becoming an author? Visit http://authors.packtpub.com for
> all the information you need about writing for Packt.
>
>
>  Hi everyone,
>
> First, full disclosure: I'm an Editor with O'Reilly.
>
> I just wanted to contribute the note that when a publisher states its
> royalty rate as a percentage, you need to ask: "of what?"  Some publishers
> calculate royalties as a percentage of profit rather than of net revenue, or
> their definitions of "net revenue" may vary.  So just looking at one
> publisher's percentage vs. another is usually a comparison of apples to
> oranges anyway.
>
> Then there's the matter of how many copies they expect to sell.  Some
> publishers sign books only if they expect the book to do well and make a
> profit; others are willing to take a hit on some niche books and expect to
> make up that revenue with a few blockbusters -- which is all well and good,
> unless you're the author of one of the niche books that never earns out its
> advance.  (The silver lining here is that this is how books on niche topics
> are made available to those that want them; if you're considering writing on
> such a topic and are primarily concerned with publicizing your content or
> growing your community, then this could be the way to go.  Just be aware
> that you might not make any money doing it.)
>
> These are all good things to ask a publisher you're considering working
> with (as well as questions Wesley indicates, such as what the tech review
> and editing process will be like, and who is responsible for that: some
> publishers ask authors to handle their own tech review).
>
> It's always good to know what you're getting yourself into, no matter whom
> you're considering working with.
>
> Happy writing,
> Julie
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "wesley chun" <wescpy at gmail.com> <wescpy at gmail.com>
> To: python-authors at python.org
> Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 12:23:44 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
> Subject: Re: [Python-authors] Author Python Book - Packt Publishing
>
> this is a warning to all before jumping in without looking at the
> waters first. i haven't worked with them before, but based on the
> existing review of their Python books, i would be somewhat hesitant,
> and i certainly wouldn't approach them without an agent. (i'm also not
> sure of their marketing and PR... i doubt they have the same type of
> staff as a more well-known publisher like Pearson [Prentice Hall,
> Addison Wesley] or O'Reilly.)
>
> the royalties they're offering seem abnormally high, and even scarier
> is that they tell you over email when this is typically something
> that's negotiated. the standard royalty rate is 10%, as O'Reilly
> states publically:
>
> http://www.oreillynet.com/oreilly/oreilly/author/ch03.html
>
> i'm concerned that they offer a higher rate because they spend less
> elsewhere, such as editing. read Alex Martelli's review very carefully
> as well as others' here:
>
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/184719494X
>
> he is doing both the Python community *and* authors at-large a huge
> favor by exposing this type of publisher behavior in the hopes that
> anyone would jump at this project because they: 1) want to be
> published, and 2) want higher royalties. as long as they sell enough
> to cover their minimal costs. it is also strongly likely that the
> editing, if there is any, is outsourced.
>
> here's another one (check out the "most helpful review"):
>
> http://www.amazon.com/dp/1904811841
>
> anyway, i'm not telling you guys *not* to do it, but just be careful,
> and have good English writing skills because likely, it won't be
> edited much so you should be prepared to be practically camera-ready.
>
> cheers,
> -wesley
>
>
> On Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 4:52 AM, Sunny Kansara <sunnyk at packtpub.com><sunnyk at packtpub.com>wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I represent Packt Publishing, the publishers of computer related books.
>
> We are planning to publish a new book on wxPython which will teach the
> Python developers who want to quickly use wxPython to create programs with
> high functional GUI's and currently we are looking out for some potential
> authors to write this book.
>
> We pay a royalty of 16% and an advance against it.
>
> An ideal candidate to author this book will be someone with an experience
> in
> wxPython. He/She should be able to communicate his/her thoughts clearly in
> English. Past writing experience will be an advantage though not mandatory.
>
>
> If you are interested in authoring this book, please write to me with a
> brief information about your experience with wxPython and any past writing
> experience you may have..
>
> Thanks,
> Sunny.
> --
> Sunny Kansara
> Author Relationship Executive
> Packt Publishing
> www.PacktPub.com
> Skype: sunnyk
> MSN: sunny_packt at hotmail.com
>
>
> --
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> "Core Python Programming", Prentice Hall, (c)2007,2001
> "Python Fundamentals", Prentice Hall, (c)2009
>    http://corepython.com
>
> wesley.j.chun :: wescpy-at-gmail.com
> python training and technical consulting
> cyberweb.consulting : silicon valley, ca
> http://cyberwebconsulting.com
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> --
> Julie Steele
> Acquisitions Editor
> O'Reilly Media, Inc.
> jsteele at oreilly.com
> Mobile: 201-937-7866
> --
> AIM/Skype: JSteeleEditor
> Twitter: @jsteeleeditor
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>
>
>
>
>
> --
> *Sunny Kansara*
> Author Relationship Executive
> Packt Publishing
> www.PacktPub.com
> Skype: sunnyk
> MSN: sunny_packt at hotmail.com
> Interested in becoming an author? Visit http://authors.packtpub.com for
> all the information you need about writing for Packt.
>
> _______________________________________________
> Python-authors mailing list
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>
>

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