title: Practical strategies for becoming a successful medical book author.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors, all senior editors in the Books Division of American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc., provide practical advice to authors who may be considering writing or editing a medical book.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors summarize strategies for developing a book proposal and outline an approach to developing a focus for a book. They also list a number of common errors that authors frequently make when they develop a book proposal. The authors provide guidance on publishing research and discuss how authors can collaborate with a publisher's marketing department to publicize their book.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By employing a systematic and well-considered approach to preparing a book proposal and writing or editing a book, authors may achieve professional success and personal satisfaction.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Writing or editing a medical book requires a different series of steps than authoring a journal article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA. rehales@ucdavis.edu
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Hales
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: McDuffie
authors.forename: Glen O
authors.initials: GO
authors.lastname: Gabbard
authors.forename: Katharine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oldham
authors.forename: Donna E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000329:Advertising / Q000379:methods; D001319:Authorship; D001877:Books; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D040541:Marketing / Q000379:methods; D010380:Peer Review; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D011643:Publishing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012107:Research Design; D013782:Textbooks as Topic / Q000592:standards; D014956:Writing