Foojay Podcast #67: Writing a book. Does it make you rich and famous?
Holding a paper book with your own name on the cover is a special moment. But what does it really take to get there, and does writing a technical book actually pay off in money or career growth? In this Foojay Podcast we sit down with Trisha Gee, Len Epp, Wim Deblauwe, and Marián Varga to compare notes on book writing, publishing routes, and the long road from idea to printed copy.
What we talked about
- Trisha Gee’s books and the motivation behind writing them
- The difference between working with a publisher and going the self-publishing route
- Realistic timelines and the effort a book really takes
- Leanpub as an ebook platform and the 80% royalty model
- Selling paper books through Lulu
- Marketing a technical book once it ships
- Tools and workflows that authors rely on
- The career impact of publishing a book
- Coordinating a book with multiple authors
- Folding community feedback into new editions
What stood out
The conversation makes one thing clear. Writing a book rarely makes anyone rich, but it opens doors that are hard to open in other ways. Each author picked a different path, and the trade-offs between a publisher and self-publishing show up in royalties, marketing, and creative control.
See the Foojay Podcast #67 for all info, shownotes, links, etc.