Understanding What It Takes to Develop and Write Science Textbooks

This presentation will review what it takes to develop and write science textbooks. Three criteria can be applied: assessment of the need for a course book: preparation of an acceptable proposal; and the pros and cons of submitting sample chapters. Questions to be asked during the assessment include: Is the course commonly taught? Or, is it a new, emerging course? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the current books? Do the economics work? Concerns to be addressed during proposal preparation are motivation, the competition, and qualifications. The merits of submitting sample chapters will also be discussed.