Next book to be published by Wiley / Jossey-Bass (with FAQ)

My upcoming book on my year at WordPress.com will be published with Jossey-Bass. I signed with agent David Fugate, who helped negotiate a fine deal with them. We had a few offers, but after talking with editors Genoveva Llosa and Susan Williams at JB I was convinced they’d be great partners to work with on this book.

Jossey-Bass is the business imprint for Wiley: they’ve been responsible for 13 of the top 25 business books last year (as well as other classics like Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team).

Frequently asked questions:

 Why didn’t you self-publish? I considered it. If I could I preferred to find to a publisher that could help bring the book to a wider business audience than I could alone. I’m hoping I can connect directly with the WordPress community and my own audience about why they’ll want to read the book. But for the truly general business audience, beyond just the tech sector, my reach is limited. Jossey-Bass’s track record can help there. Working with a publisher again is also a chance to learn some new tricks.
Why did you get an agent? I’d looked for agents before, but never found one that I liked and who was interested in the book I was working on. Both of those things changed when I talked with David. I managed to get offers on the book myself but he helped look for others, advised me on the book proposal, and took over negotiation and contract details, which I was happy not to have to do myself for once.
Why didn’t you go with O’Reilly? I did talk with them, but for the same reasons in #1 they weren’t the ideal choice for the book, as their reach, while much greater than mine, hits the same tech-business crowd I can reach myself. I think they’re an excellent publisher and I bet I work with them again.

More on the book soon. I’m on the homestretch of the first draft and hope to be finished within the next two weeks.

If you have other questions, leave a comment.