Technical Writing

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8

Publishing Your Work

8.1 Introduction

In this chapter I discuss two major themes. The rst relates to publishing your

own work. Let’s suppose that you have written a technical article or a book,

and you believe that this writing is suitable for publication. You ask, “Where

can I publish this work, and how do I get it published?” The second theme is

a response to the hypothetical question of “Is it possible to make a living as a

technical writer, and if so, how?” This chapter helps answer these questions.

I don’t know why you are reading this book. Perhaps it was required for

a course. Perhaps you acquired this book because you write as a hobby.

Whatever the case, you are probably a technical professional or plan to be.

Every technical professional has the potential to publish something relating

to his (her) own work experience. I believe that it is in your best interest to

consider publishing your work, whether for professional advancement, iden-

tity branding, personal satisfaction, or for supplemental income.

8.1.1 What Kinds of Work Can Be Published?

You can publish almost anything: basic and applied research, experience

reports, surveys of the literature or a professional area, even opinion pieces.

You can publish in various places, including conferences, books, magazines,

newsletters, journals, newspapers, websites, and blogs. Where you publish

depends on the type of material.

Selecting the right publishing venue is crucial because submitting a manu-

script to the wrong venue can lead to bitter disappointment and delays in

publication. Every writer knows the disappointment of rejection, but you can

learn from that experience. Dealing with rejection is explored in Section 8.4.

8.1.2 Why Publish Your Work?

Even if you don’t plan on making a living as a technical writer, and you

only write as a part of your job as a scientist or technical professional, there

are several reasons why you should consider publishing in a magazine,