The thread about Andrew Hicks' new book has got me wondering. Suppose I was to write something. What would I do to get it published? What are the options available and relative advantages/disadvantages of each?

Never having done it, I don't have a clue as to what the process would be or how big of a cut I could expect to receive from each book sold.

The book I have in mind would be more technical in nature, not a novel or anything like that, if it makes a difference.

Are you in Thailand?

It will all depend on the demand that exists for your book. If you can convince a publisher that your manuscript will make them money then you can get them to back you financially. If a publisher is not prepared to invest any money in your book then you can try non-traditional publishing. This will involve you paying for everything yourself and organizing your own distribution, publicity, and storage. If you live in Thailand it might be possible to do this yourself but apparently it isn't easy. Alternatively a local publishers might offer these services at a price. There is not that much money involved unless you produce a bestseller. Still having a book out there is a nice feeling. A good local publishers is Bangkok Bookhouse who are accepting submissions; although I am not sure what their policy is on technical manuscripts.

If you live outside Thailand it is tougher to get published, but there are far more self-publishing options. I was in Ireland a few months back and was told that it takes at least six months before a publisher will even look at a submitted manuscript and you are only allowed to submit to one publisher at a time!!

Self-publishing is now big business in the west. A popular example of this is Lulu which is international print on demand company. I have not tried this myself. It has some positives in that you only pay for what you sell. They print on demand. So you can order one copy of your book at a time. The real problem is distribution because very few bookshops will even consider carrying self-published books (because they can not return them). There are now millions of print on demand titles on every subject so it is easy for your book to get lost. Most are sold online. Another option is a ebook, but I don't know much about this.

What sort of book do you want to publish?

Good luck by the way.

Thanks for the comments Garro.

I am based in Thailand and thinking about a semi-technical book dealing with Southeast Asian energy issues - not something that would have a wide appeal.

Sorry Deke, I have no idea what to advise. I am sure there are posters on TV involved in technical writing. Hopefully someone will see this thread. Have you considered a blog to test the amount of interest? There is a blog area on this site.

I was thinking the same but an autobiography - maybe when I'm a bit older.

I think that Thai Visa should release a book of favorite posts through the years. I'm sure it would sell well considering the amount of traffic that passes through the site. Might be a problem with copyright though.