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EDUCATIONAL BOOK PUBLISHING
By Anne Vize
Educational books are created by writers with an understanding
of teaching, or by teachers with some writing skills.
Specialists from areas such as art, physical education, math,
literacy or health often write educational books in their
field. Writing an education book is a great way for an
unpublished writer to get a start.
Types of education books
1. Teacher resource books – written as a practical book for
teachers. They are usually photocopiable and have
descriptions of detailed lesson plans and general activity
ideas. A teacher will buy a single book and copy it for the
whole class. They sell for $30-50.
2. Student workbooks – used by students, so a school will buy
a class set. Workbooks have the advantage of selling in higher
numbers as every student needs a copy, but the disadvantage is
strong competition from other writers. They sell for $10-25.
3. Professional / academic textbooks – bought by teachers for
their own reference, or by schools, libraries or universities.
Some are used as texts in university teacher training courses.
There is extensive research and time involved in writing textbooks,
and writers need academic qualifications in a specialty area (for
example, special education). They sell for $40 and up.
Royalties and payments
Royalties are often lower than other genres such as fiction or
children’s writing, but should continue for at least five years.
Eight to 15% is common, based on how much the publisher is paid
per book rather than retail price. The royalty amount varies
greatly, as many publishers sell in bulk at a discount. The
publisher is paid less per book, and so is the writer. Expect
around $2,000-$5,000 per book, with sales increasing over the
first two years, then decreasing.
Advances are in the $200 - $400 range paid once the book is
published. Money is also due from copyright fees (paid by a
school or university for copying of books).
Pitching an idea
Teacher resource books are the easiest to write for a first
timer. Think of topical education areas where the market is
not already saturated with books. Current examples are bullying,
obesity, sustainability and the environment and values education.
Listen to teachers in schools, watch for articles in newspapers
and online, and read blogs and bulletin boards such as Proteacher
( www.proteacher.com ) or Teacher
Lingo ( http://teacherlingo.com ) .
Focus on a single idea, and keep your pitch simple and easy to
follow. Aim at smaller publishers who specialise in your area
of writing, as many large publishing houses prefer experienced
writers with a track record of successful books. There is a
full listing of educational publishers by country at
http://www.publishersglobal.com.
When I began writing in Australian education, there were few
resource books on special education for secondary students.
Most teachers used primary books and adapted them for older
students, or overseas books unsuited to Australian learners.
I identified the gap in the market and found a small publisher,
Phoenix Education, with whom I have now published 10 teacher
resource books in literacy and numeracy for special needs
learners. I also published five as primary and lower secondary
resources for Curriculum Corporation.
Promotion
Educational magazines are great for promoting your book. Many
fields have specialty magazines bought by teachers for up to
date information and references. Examples include ESL magazine
(teachers of English as a second language), Arts and Activities
(art and craft teaching), Learning through History (history for
ages nine plus) and Mathematics Teacher (primary and secondary
math). Most magazines pay $50-$100 per article at best, but
include an author byline with your book title and website link.
The byline promotes your book and helps build a following of
readers for future publications.
About the author
Anne Vize is an Australian educational writer. Her latest
books are ‘Everyday Literacy Book 1 and 2’ (Phoenix Education
www.phoenixeduc.com)
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