| Author | Message | ||
     Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 86.169.200.167 |
I have been commissioned to contribute to two electrical text books by Pearson Books. I was astounded to discover that they are the educational imprint of Penguin. Does this mean I've hit the big time? Can I allow myself a modicum of smugness? Writing for a text book is a vastly different experience to writing straightforward fiction text. Apart from writign the actual text tiself you have to design the page layout, indicate wheat illutrations you want and whee, any labellign hey should have. Tehre si also a word limit per page - 400 for one and 350 for the other book. Finally, I have 25 pages for each of the three chapters I have to write for each book. All in all an interesting writing challenge. Has anyone else done this type of thing? Cheers Terry | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
Completely outside my field of experience, I'm afraid, mate. But congratulations! | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 86.169.200.167 |
Uh, this is the edited version!I posted the thing before I'd checked it over. I’ve just been commissioned to contribute to two text books for Pearson Books. I was astounded to discover that Pearson is the educational imprint of Penguin. Does this mean that I’ve hit the big time? Am I allowed a modicum of smugness? This kind of writing is very different from the straight fiction I’ve written up until now. For a start I am limited to 350 and 450 words a page respectively and I have an allocation of 25 pages per chapter (I have three in each book). Also, any illustrations and diagrams have to be indicated and described and each page planned out. It is proving to be a very good discipline and experience and is, I have to say, very exciting. Has anyone else done this type of writing? | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Terry - if you ever see me begging for money outside any of our great British Railway stations, chuck us a few pennies, you'll be able to afford it. Good stuff, mate, here's to Terry At The Top...a new BBC 1 drama about writing for the Big Man. Seriously, well done, Terry. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.31.139.112 |
The only advice about textbook writing I ever received was "build in redundancy", meaning readers like everything explaining several times, so it sinks in. Unlike fiction writing, where those extra words would be unnecessary. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 178.116.58.66 |
wheat illustrations  I'm sure this sort of thing has cropped up before.  | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
I thought this thread was going to be one of Rhys's absurdist narratives. I was all ready to remind him that penguins are complex individuals: there's more to them than black and white. Good gig, Terry! I used to edit that kind of book for a living... for ten years. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
Nice one Terry! I've not written text books, but I've written lots of student self-study/open learning material. I love doing that kind of thing. I actually got the opportunity to write some self-study ebooks this year, but fate conspired against me and I haven't been able to start yet. I'm hoping the publisher will still be interested when I get back to him. I really enjoy writing teaching material of any kind. My first experience of it was when I was doing my PhD, writing case study material for students. My supervisor was a frustrated sf writer who always said that the nearest he got to writing fiction was writing those case studies!  | ||
| Allybird (Allybird) Username: Allybird Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 121.90.44.15 |
Good to hear your news, Terry! | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 212.219.63.204 |
I'm slogging away at this now. It really is a different kind of writing, not only does the text have to be readable and accurate etc, but each page needs to be laid out in a particular way. It is both a satisfying and infuriting experience. But I really am missing fiction. I want to write a story. Please let me write a story... Cheers Terry | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 134.184.68.4 |
Put some deaths in it. | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 212.219.63.204 |
The Human Ring Main Pt1 | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 134.184.68.4 |
Add a sex scene. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.66.23.11 |
and a lesbian milkmaid wearing leather | ||
| Mbfg (Mbfg) Username: Mbfg Registered: 09-2010 Posted From: 212.219.63.204 |
And otu of the closet oome all the fetishes and fantasies... | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 92.232.199.129 |
.. how about adding pictures of cuddly kittens? Oh no, sorry, that wouldn't work. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.66.23.11 |
Oh yes, pictures of the lesbian milkmaids stroking their lovely kittens! fantastic! Hold on, why does that sentence seem subtly wrong? |