When people use the word author, it is assumed that writing books is the person's livelihood. Hal Resnick, an author of five books, sees writing more as the natural extension of his work!
He used three different means of publishing, he expounded on the pros and cons of each method.
McGraw Hill contacted Hal while he was a professor at Temple University. They asked him to write an education series to inspire middle school students into careers in Engineering and Construction. This added to his credibility as a writer but was also a marketing tool he could use when promoting his consulting business. As writers, big name publishing companies are the Holy Grail of success. It is a coveted position to be sought after by one of these companies. Aside from the up shot of adding credibility, working big name publishing companies is not the satisfying experience one would think. The writer is no longer the Integral component of the process. It is now in an assembly line though red tape and equipment which will eventually lead to a book.
The second method was when he was contacted to write a book to help kids with the metric system. Here he needed the book to be a camera ready copy. He turned the book in to a math publishing company. The book was published within three months and he never heard about it again.
The third way was self-publishing or the print on demand, such as LuLu. This option is readily available to all writers. With this method you pay a small fee, you receive your ISBN numbers, some connections to websites and other services a writer may need. a nominal fee is than charged for the book to go to print. You set the sale price, pay the fee and viola you can have as many books as you want printed. Books are only printed when paid orders are received - and can be printed in batches of one! Hard cover books cost more than paperback and will take a few weeks longer to publish.
Writing and publishing books are Hal's way of giving back to the world. He is very knowledgeable and meticulous. He owns his own consulting business and recently published Energizing Workplace Performance. He writes articles for Jacksonville Business Journal and sends out a monthly e-newsletter. He can be contacted at http://www.worksystems.com/
His final words of advice;"Do it! Don't be afraid. It is a gift to others and yourself"
By Tracy Redman, FCCW Treasurer
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