To introduce you to Macmillan Computer Publishing USA (MCP) and help you prepare for the greatest publishing success possible, we have prepared this author's kit for those interested in writing and publishing books directed towards computer topics and technologies.

MCP has made a major commitment to publishing books that meet the needs of business-oriented microcomputer users. We are constantly looking for computer books and authors that provide the greatest possible value and utility. If you are able to think logically, organize your thoughts, and communicate to a reader your computer-related experiences, there is a good chance you can successfully write computer books.

This author's kit is composed of several sections, each designed to fulfill a specific need and assist you in understanding why you should write for MCP and how MCP views the computer book market. There are also sections designed to assist you in preparing your formal book proposal.

The sections included in this author's kit are:

– The last section, Book Proposal Guidelines, is crucial for several reasons. The answers you provide gives MCP insight into your abilities as an author. It shows us your knowledge of the subject matter, ability to present material, and understanding of the audience for your book. It is important that all of the questions are answered in the proposal guidelines to help us in our author selection process. Please answer all of the questions and submit that proposal to your acquisitions editor. The remaining sections of this proposal kit are provided to help you in your decision to write for MCP.

After reading through the information in this kit, if you have other questions or concerns, or if you wish to write a book for MCP, please contact

(317) 581-4666 Fax

gganser@mcp.com

There are a number of reasons to seriously consider writing for MCP. MCP’s successful track record in the computer book publishing field has allowed us to serve well both our authors and our loyal readers. Let's examine just a few of the reasons why you should be writing for MCP.

MCP is the world’s #1 computer book publisher. MCP has consistently published the highest quality, best selling titles in the computer book publishing industry. MCP has made a major commitment to publishing books that meet the needs of microcomputer programmers, computer enthusiasts and general consumers. We are constantly looking for authors that can add the greatest possible value to our products. Quality has historically been a strength of MCP books. MCP’s successful track record in the computer book publishing field has allowed us to serve both our authors and our loyal readers well.

MCP’s line is diverse, innovative, and deep. MCP’s imprint name recognition (QUE, Sams, Hayden, and Waite Group Press), and the phenomenal success of the Special Edition Using series, Teach Yourself series, Unleashed series, Inside series, and The Complete Idiot's Guides have allowed MCP to continually place titles on the trade best-seller lists. Quality has historically been a strength of MCP books. We insist on value-added content and quality, and this insistence has paid off—for authors as well as for MCP. The shelf life of a quality book is much longer than that of a shoddy one. The longer the shelf life, the higher the sales.

MCP requests first drafts of chapters on an early and regular basis so that our development editors can assess the content, style, and organization of a manuscript and offer recommendations for improvement. It is less frustrating for an author to adapt and refocus while writing a manuscript than to finish the manuscript and then have to revise it greatly. Depending on the experience and skill of the author, feedback can be minimal to extensive. In any case, it is directed toward shaping manuscripts for success.

The Macmillan Computer Publishing sales force is unparalleled in its ability to sell titles into every imaginable channel. We now have more than 150 sales representatives that call on major distributors, national book sellers, the education market, the corporate market, the mass market, and international distributors. In addition, MCP’s Special Sales force calls on companies that might wish to use MCP products as premiums. We also have a subsidiary and electronic rights department that handles book clubs and foreign translations.

These are the traditional distribution channels for MCP’s products. Included are Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Crown, and B. Dalton, to name a few.

MCP has been successful in penetrating several mass market channels. These include Walmart, Blockbuster, CompUSA, Best Buy, SAMs Club, Cosco, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, Fry’s Electronics, Electronics Boutique, Babbages, and Toys R Us.

Organizations such as AMS and Ingram help fulfill demand from the independent bookstores as well as individual chain book stores that need a particular title on short notice. They also service computer superstores and the major warehouse clubs.

MCP has a large independent sales force to service the many technical book stores and small chains across the United States.

Every MCP title receives more than 150,000 impressions in various catalogs produced by MCP. These catalogs are produced for the mass market, independent book stores, education, and the corporate channel. In addition, each of our key titles are announced via a press release sent to any number of over 500 members of the trade and popular press. In many cases, review copies of the books are sent as well.

Four months after publication, authors begin to receive monthly royalty statements. When money is owed an author, payment is sent with the statement. Unlike other publishers, MCP has a policy that allows authors to invest--and spend--their royalty income monthly rather than wait for quarterly, semiannual, or annual checks.

MCP establishes long-term relationships with authors. That philosophy works to the advantage of both author and publisher. Marketing a subsequent book by an author is much easier and more efficient than marketing the first book. "Repeat performances" enable MCP to build an author's credibility with the book-buying public by calling attention to that author's previous successes. (A second publisher is less inclined to remind book buyers that its new author had a successful book published by another company.)

Once a completed manuscript has been received and accepted, it will become a book in less than 18 weeks. For authors this means that sales and royalties begin to arrive quickly.

This is a critical question for most prospective authors. There are a number of items we look for:

Other parts of this author's proposal kit will be most helpful to you in preparing your formal book proposal.

Again, this can vary from project to project. The typical writing phase of a MCP book is approximately three months. This may seem quick to some who have written books for publishers who allow more time, or it may seem "like plenty of time" to those who have not written a book before. In reality, it is neither.

Three months is an aggressive cycle, but our experience has shown that the market rewards fast production. Since time is limited, it is important to buckle down and get to work right away. As any experienced author will attest, writing a book is a test of knowledge, dedication, and determination. Those who procrastinate "the hard parts" or waste time at the beginning of the writing process will find themselves hard-pressed to complete an acceptable manuscript on time.

Basically, the writing process is divided into four distinct phases. These are:

Ø Outline development and contract negotiation. This is the period from title conception to signing the contract. This phase can last an indeterminate amount of time, based upon the timeliness of your topic and the quality of the outline and book proposal submitted.

Ø Manuscript development. This covers the period from contract signing to submission of final manuscript. During this period you are required to submit periodic status reports and you will work closely with a development editor to make sure the book is focused and targeted correctly. This phase typically lasts three months, as previously described.

Ø Editing. This phase includes the period from final manuscript through submittal of the edited manuscript to production. During this phase, you respond to questions and suggestions from the acquisitions, development, technical, and project editors. This phase typically lasts 12 weeks.

Ø Production. In this phase there is nothing that typically involves the author. The book is laid out, paged, indexed, and sent to the printer. This phase typically lasts five weeks.

Most MCP authors receive remuneration based upon royalties or work for hire. The complete and legal description of how royalties are paid is contained within the contract.

In a royalty contract, we provide an advance against the royalty during the development of the book. This advance is typically paid in a number of installments. That number is determined by you and your acquisitions editor. For example, the first might be paid upon acceptance of a detailed outline and initial chapter, others upon acceptance of specific milestones, and the last upon completion of the author review phase.

Royalties are paid based upon our net selling price for the book (the monies we receive from our customers) and net units sold. Generally, you can use a ballpark figure of 45% of the cover price to calculate the net selling price of the book. Thus, if a book has a list price of $22.95, your royalty (for estimation purposes) is calculated as a percentage of approximately $10.33; in other words, your pre-determined royalty percentage times $10.33.

Unlike some publishers, MCP pays royalties monthly beginning with the third month after book publication.

Our internal operations are set up to work most easily with Microsoft Word for Windows (or Word for Mac). However, if this is not an option for you, please inform your acquisitions editor and he/she will work with you to determine an alternative method that works best.

More information on word processors and manuscript formatting is provided when your book contracts are signed with MCP.

This really deserves two answers, because design can apply both to organization of content and to the physical appearance of the manuscript.

Generally, the physical appearance of your manuscript can be fairly simple. Elaborate formatting, fancy headers and footers, etc. are not required. Specific information regarding appearance and layout is provided when you sign a book contract with MCP.

Content organization, however, is a different story. Content organization varies according to the type of book and subject matter you are writing. The organization of a book in the Special Edition Using series will obviously differ from the organization of a book in the Teach Yourself series. But in a general sense, MCP books are distinguished by their usefulness. The success of a MCP book is in direct proportion to its utility.

Many things contribute to a book's usefulness. Clarity is one important contributor. It begins with efforts on the part of authors and development editors to ensure that every element is in its place, that the proper things are explained at the right times, and that the needs of the audience receive careful attention at every turn. MCP’s editors then take over and ensure that the finished manuscript is free from grammatical faults and other defects.

Another contributing factor is easy access. The MCP style is based, in part, on the philosophy that books are designed to make information easily accessible. No matter how much useful information a book contains, it will only gather dust--it will not be used--unless the information is presented in such a way that the reader can find what he or she needs with minimal effort. For that reason, we insist upon manuscripts that go well beyond a simple presentation of ideas and facts. We increase ease of access through liberal use of

We realize that each manuscript, particularly a highly technical one, has special needs that may call for departures from the accepted MCP style. Wide departures should be thoroughly discussed with your development editor and approved before you develop large portions of the manuscript. Your willingness to follow our suggestions will save hours of work for all parties involved. That, in turn, means that we generally will send your manuscript back to you for review more quickly, and, ultimately, your book will be published much sooner.

Your target audience varies, depending upon your topic and the level of potential readers' expertise. If you are writing a beginning level book, your audience may be novices. If you are writing an advanced or reference book, your audience may be technically sophisticated. Before you begin your book proposal, you should have a firm sense of your target audience and of what they will be seeking in your book. Many times it helps to verbalize, in writing, who your audience is.

For most subjects, MCP publishes books from 400 to 1200 pages. If you aim for this length, you will be in good company. You may find, however, that your book topic cannot be adequately developed in a book of this size. As you are preparing your outline, think about the number of pages required to cover each topic. By the time your outline is completed, you should have a fairly accurate "ballpark" page count in mind.

Manuscript page counts differ from finished book page counts. To estimate the size of your final book, figure that each single-spaced manuscript page equals approximately .91 typeset pages. Thus, 11 manuscript pages equal 10 typeset pages. Charts, graphs, photos, and other illustrative materials also require page space. Visualize them as they will appear in a typeset page and add allowances to your page count estimates. Two screen shots normally equal one book page.

A good outline, prepared before a manuscript is written, is necessary to manage the project as it progresses. Other sections of this author's kit will help you in the development of your outline.

At MCP, we place a great deal of emphasis on your outline; it provides us with a basis for judging your progress and how fully your book fulfills its purpose. We will seldom, if ever, sign a book contract until we have received a detailed outline for the manuscript. This document presents some ideas to help you prepare an outline successfully.

The outline is--or should be--equally important to you, the author. An outline is a framework on which your final manuscript can be built. It serves many purposes and (if properly prepared) yields many benefits. The outline

If the outline is well thought out, writing the manuscript is much easier. If the outline is weak, the result can be a great deal of unnecessary or repetitive work, both for you and for those who will turn your manuscript into a book.

There are many kinds of outlines; the two kinds relevant to manuscript creation are the subject outline and the chapter outline.

The subject outline is the one with which you're probably most familiar; it lists the topics you intend to discuss in the order of discussion. Logical subordination is indicated by numbers, indentation, or some other means. (We prefer indentation.) Headings simply describe the topics: the language can be rough, but the headings should describe, clearly and unambiguously, the sequence and logical subordination of the topics you intend to cover.

The chapter outline shows how the major topics are distributed among the chapters. Usually, the subheadings in a chapter outline closely approximate the subheadings that will appear in the final manuscript. Elements that are not part of the subject outline proper, such as chapter summaries, review questions, and exercises, etc., should appear in the chapter outline.

The two kinds of outline are closely related, but the subject outline is the most important because it is the master plan for the entire book. With only a small amount of effort, a chapter outline can be created from a subject outline. Hence the subject outline can (and should) be created first.

We do not require submission of the subject outline; the order of topics and the manner of presentation will be apparent from the chapter outline and other materials you submit along with it. Feel free, then, to omit the subject outline and begin with the chapter outline; but realize that if you do so, you make your work more difficult. Each kind of outline poses its own set of problems. By creating the subject outline first, you solve one set of problems first. The divide-and-conquer strategy is as useful in writing as it is in programming.

Worthy projects require preparation, and building an outline is no exception. Of course, you must think about the internal relationships between elements of your book: topics, subtopics, chapters, parts, etc. Those considerations are discussed later, in the section "Building the Outline." In a competitive market, you must also think about external relationships between your book and existing titles. Those are the subject of this section.

Few authors have an opportunity to break new ground. But the marketplace for computer book titles is such that a new perspective on a subject already covered by other books can be successful. It would be difficult to compete in the marketplace if you do not recognize and fully understand your competition. Examine competing titles, and ask yourself questions like these:

Answers to these questions can help you refine the structure of your outline and the finished manuscript.

Before you prepare a manuscript outline for submission to MCP, you should become familiar with books MCP has already published. Some investigation on your part may keep you from choosing an unsuitable topic and should help you to develop a manuscript that will fit in with MCP’s family of computer books.

When we advise you to become familiar with our books, we don't mean to imply that we have a formula; MCP books are not written to a prescribed outline. We encourage and appreciate originality. But we do expect that a MCP book should have clear and logical organization, plenty of useful information (often presented in tables, figures, lists, etc.), many concrete examples, and a strong "hands-on" orientation.

If you've done the work recommended in preceding sections, you're ready to begin. By now, you should have a sense of the controlling idea, general strategy, or framework of concepts that provides the organizing principle of your manuscript. Keep this principle in mind as you organize your outline.

As you begin creating the subject outline, consider questions like these:

Many subjects have some elements that should be presented in a particular order and other elements that can be presented in an arbitrary order. For instance, a book about an integrated programming environment should first introduce the reader to that environment, then begin presenting the programming language itself. On the other hand, it makes little difference (after the reader has learned enough about the programming language) whether file handling is presented before or after graphics. Think about which things fall into which category, and arrange the topics accordingly.

Even where order seems arbitrary, look for some way to be less arbitrary. Is it harder to learn graphics than file handling? If so, file handling should probably come first. Strive to build a book that develops the reader's confidence even as it develops his or her skills.

The same considerations apply at lower levels within the organization of the outline. When you write about file I/O, for example, try to group the file I/O functions or keywords in some logical manner rather than discussing them in, say, alphabetical order. By choosing a suitable order of presentation, you can avoid potential problems that can emerge when you begin imposing a chapter structure on the subject outline.

This section explores, in greater depth, just a few of the things you should bear in mind as you choose an order for the topics in your book.

There are numerous ways to organize a book; three important ones are sequential, evolutionary, and developmental, as described below. If the scheme you have in mind is not named here, don't worry. What matters is whether your outline is well organized, not whether it falls into one of these categories.

The order of topics in your outline should always be sequential. Whenever appropriate, the order should also be evolutionary; and whenever possible, developmental.

At some point in this process, begin estimating how many pages will be required to cover the topics named in your outline. You should begin making these estimates as soon as possible, so that you don't waste time outlining topics that you later discover will not fit within a manuscript of the length you have in mind. If your proposal is accepted, your contract will stipulate length for the manuscript.

Pacing is another thing to consider, and it's closely related to organization. Many books present fewer ideas more slowly at the beginning, then gather speed toward the end. That's a desirable way for a book to "move," and it's easiest to achieve if the book is organized properly. When fundamentals are presented patiently at the outset, the discussion can move swiftly toward the end because discussion of fundamentals does not impede the book's progress.

Once the subject outline is completed, you're almost done. If you've arranged subjects appropriately, you should have little trouble in dividing the topics among chapters.

The simplest way to begin creating a chapter outline is to divide the subject outline into chapter-sized chunks. (That's one reason for early consideration of page count. The optimal size for a chapter is 15 to 30 pages.

Because some topics demand more discussion than others, you should not be concerned if the subject outline does not always divide cleanly into chapters. In other words, you will not always be able to begin a new chapter with each new top-level subheading in your subject outline. Sometimes, a chapter boundary will fall between lower-level subheadings in your subject outline. What this means is that two or more chapters will cover different aspects (the lower-level sections) of a major topic (the top-level sections). Or you may find that two or more top-level sections fit comfortably into a single chapter. That's no cause for concern. If your outline has the subjects in proper sequence, the two subjects will probably combine to form a unified chapter.

Having partitioned your subject outline into chapters, you can now begin thinking about the introductions, transitions, summaries, etc., that spell the difference between a list of ideas and a book. If you need to break a major topic among chapters, for instance, then you should think about adding a section that explains what is covered in the current chapter, what is covered in the next chapter, and how the two are related (and don't forget to outline the connective material). If a chapter combines two major topics, then you should think about adding an introduction that ties the two subjects together, and a transitional section to link the first major topic with the second.

Finally, add subheadings for invariant elements of the book: chapter summaries, review sections, exercises, and the like.

Does this seem like a lot of work? It is! But writing a book is a lot of work too, and careful attention to these matters will actually reduce the amount of work required to turn your ideas into a manuscript.

To help focus your TOC and help us make a fair decision regarding your proposal's viability, please be sure to address each of these questions in considering how you will develop your book. Should your TOC be accepted, your answers to the following questions will also help our product development and editing staff in providing the necessary guidance and support for this project.

A book proposal should consist of the following information:

• A TOC (table of contents) containing the following information:
• the estimated total page count and page count per chapter
• numbered and titled parts/sections (if appropriate)
• a list of numbered and titled chapters within those parts
• one additional detail level beyond chapters (c-heads/primary heads), including the estimated number of pages for each of these topics and a one- to two-paragraph description of each chapter.
• A resume or equivalent text describing the background of the prospective author as it relates to this book.
• An unpublished, unedited writing sample.
• Published writing sample, if applicable (on the same topic as this book proposal, if possible)
• Complete street address (no P.O. box numbers), along with daytime and evening telephone numbers, and email address
• Answers to the questions below. Your answers will help us determine if your vision for the book matches what we are looking for as well as helps us choose the best publishing course to take with your outline.

I. Book Contents

A. Why do you think this book should be published?

1. Provide a brief, but detailed background of the topic.

D. What new industry topics or trends may this book touch upon? List them even if they are addressed by only one chapter.

II. Audience and Marketing Information

1. Define and Describe Audience

2. What software / hardware capabilities must they have?

B. What will readers be able to accomplish after reading this book?

C. Which books will this book compete against? How are they similar? How will they be different?

D. What do you think is the estimated market size for the book?

E. List New Software / Features the Book Covers

F. Unique, Value-Added Benefits that Reader will Receive