Writing a book

[Boone]

Hey all, I'm writing a book. It's going to be a book with a lot of other people's input, and I'd like yours. Please add some advice, or a discussion you'd like to start about some topics. Please post your name with it so I can credit you.

Thanks

[Rader Sidetrack]

You claim to be writing a book, but you haven't identified a subject yet? You want Beesource members to add input to your thread, and then you plan to copy that material into your book? Have you talked to your attorney yet?

[Boone]

It is going to be a complete guide to beekeeping, and I'm going to use the ideas, and credit them.

[beeware10]

my advice would to have enough experence that you can write from your own knowledge. make a living off bees for a few years would be a good start.

[Boone]

I would, but I wanted a lot of different inputs, from different sources.

[Vance G]

I think you should go interview acebird, he is after all the definitive authority on this forum. It would be a great broadway musical.

[WI-beek]

Sorry, but I think there are enough guides to beekeeping. You would be better to write a book about managing varroa and all the options there are. That would be very useful being there are so many options yet they are all options and data are scattered all over the place.

[Andrew Dewey]

I agree with WI-beek there are enough general guides to beekeeping and what is really needed is promotion of the good ones and withdrawal of the rest. I guess the market will ultimately do its thing and the books that aren't be bought will disappear.

What is your interest in beekeeping? Is there something like Varroa control that you could sink you teeth into, tracking down, reading and digesting all the studies that have been done on controlling mites, the "side effects" of various miticides and an objective review of survivor bees. I'd be interested to know how well survivor bees do when moved to a different climactic zone.

And you should know why you are writing a book - to make money? Nothing wrong with that. To learn more about your (new?) avocation? Again, Nothing wrong with that. The decisions you make now on how you approach your subject will greatly impact the final product.

[HTC]

If all you are doing is copy paste well it has been done but with no copy no paste it is called an internet forum

Tapping the foot and waiting on a good book on how to keep bees in central Florida.

Yes see there is a need.

[Boone]

I'm going to address the mite problem and dwell on it.

[Boone]

I have a friend who keeps bees, that has told me, after I tell him what so and so book said, " ", and he tells me how wrong it is, and proves why, so I am going along with his, and other oldtimers' advice, and what I have heard from reliable sources.

[Barry]

What mite problem is that?

[beeware10]

this would be like me writing a book on how to set up a nuclear generating plant for electricity. good luck

[sqkcrk]

It is going to be a complete guide to beekeeping, and I'm going to use the ideas, and credit them.

What is your background and experience from which you have the knowledge and background to write a "complete guide to beekeeping"?

[NasalSponge]

I think it is good to have and read some basic beekeeping books, not enough new folks do in my opinion but.....I believe the only thing more subjective than beekeeping is food, in other words there are so many different ways to do a single activity that a definitive book on beekeeping will never be written. For a non-beek to attempt to write such a book by taking the multifarious opinions from the beeks on this forum will be overwhelming at best. Just read the thread on gloves. Good luck.

[100 td]

Save yourself a lot of money and time and buy this book, it's already done for you.
http://www.bushfarms.com/xstar.htm

[sqkcrk]

Don't most Authors do research before they write their books? Do you have any experience writing books. I see by your Profile you have had bees for five years. Have you written anything else, besides your website?

[Boone]

Yes to sqkcrk.

[sqkcrk]

Any titles you'd care to share?

You are 16 years old, have been a beekeeper for 5 years, were born to be a fisherman? Now you want to write a book? You are going to have to put up w/ a certain amount of skepticism from folks on beesource.com. One has to prove themselves to others here.

[waynesgarden]

It doesn't sound to me that you want to write a book but compile other people's writings into book form. If you actually want to write one, then I agree that, in absence of actual knowledge, research is your only method of gathering information.

I've known writers and even imagined I would be one but the closest I got was creating a book review website and writing reviews. Still, I learned that there are basic steps involved in successfully writing a book. Most involve determining marketability, finding a publisher, etc, but every writing guide worth its salt requires that you organize your future book in outline form. Do you have an outline to present?

To pitch an unwritten book to a publisher you would need a carefully written proposal which would include a brief outline but, more importantly, information on who the book would be marketed to, the reasons you feel a need for it, what you will present that is different from what is currently in print, your qualifications to write it and perhaps a sample chapter.

To pitch it to those whose work you would like to compile into a book, I would expect the same degree of groundwork having been done. Saying "I'm writing a book" is not the same as writing a book. Do your research, gather your materials, then get organized. Writing a book is hard work which is why I'm not writing books. Good luck.

Wayne