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Frequently Asked Questions
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Questions & Answers About OSR Press
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Why did you start OSR Press?
We've been working in the Windows system software space for almost thirteen years now. During that time, we noticed that very few books are published about Windows driver development and similar topics. Most publishers just aren't interested in publishing books in this space (regardless of how interesting or important those books are) because they can't make much money doing it. We've known this is true, because we've reviewed some terrific book proposals that have been turned down by publishers just because they don't think they'll be able to sell more than ten or fifteen thousand copies. We think this is a major loss to the Windows system software community. And because we're dedicated to serving the community, we figured we should step in and fill this void.
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What about your previous relationship with Macmillan Technical Publishing and New Riders?
Both of these publishers were "absorbed" by Addison Wesley some years back. We have no remaining contractual commitments to either of them.
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Are you still writing the Microsoft Press book on Writing Drivers for Windows Vista?
Absolutely! OSR Press isn't necessarily the only outlet for the creative talents of the OSR staff
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Why isn't OSR Press publishing your book "Writing Drivers for Windows Vista?"
Our agreement to write the Vista driver book for Microsoft Press pre-dates the founding of OSR Press. In addition, like our Windows NT drivers book, we expect the Vista drivers book to be sold throughout the world, translated into several languages, and printed in a variety of local editions. These aren't things that OSR Press is presently set up to handle.
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Where will I be able to purchase books published by OSR Press?
We hope you'll buy your OSR Press books directly from the OSR Online Store.
- Why should I buy OSR Press books from the OSR Online Store?
Buying OSR Press books directly from OSR allows us to keep the prices low. It's not like we make a ton of money on these books, you know. Larger sites demand enormous commissions (like, 40% of the cover price) or other fees to stock books from small publishers. As a result, it's hard to even cover our costs selling from other sites.
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Will OSR Press books be available from amazon.com?
Yes. But we still hope you'll buy our books from the OSR Online Store.
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Will OSR Press books be available on the shelf my local bookstore?
Not likely. We expect books stores that specialize in technical and computer books to stock books from OSR Press. But, we have no reason to believe that you'll be able to find books from OSR Press on the shelf of your local Barnes and Noble.
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Besides your upcoming WDF book, what other books does OSR Press have planned?
We'd rather not say right now. But if you spend a little time thinking about what it is that we do for a living, you might be able to make a few educated guesses.
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Will the quality of OSR Press books be any different from books published by other publishers?
We're not printing OSR Press books on a xerox machine somewhere in the backwoods of New Hampshire and getting them bound at Kinkos, if that's what you're asking. OSR Press books will be printed the same way as other technical books, bound the same way, and use the same quality paper. In fact, we anticipate that OSR Press books will in many cases be better quality than most of the books that are published these days.
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Will OSR Press books be hardcover or paperback?
We have the capability to publish either type of book. However, we expect almost all of our books to be paperback because (a) this helps keep the cost down, and (b) in our experience, paperback books are easier to use because they stay open better on your desk.
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Will OSR Press only publish books written by people who work for OSR?
Does Microsoft Press only publish books written by people who work for Microsoft? Heck no. Likewise, we expect to publish the best books in the field of Windows system software regardless of who writes them.
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Why would an author of a system software book want to have their book published by OSR Press (and not a larger publisher)?
Because OSR Press focuses exclusively on books for the Windows system software community. Because we are engineers who understand system software topics, as well as what other engineers need and want to know about those topics. And because, unlike other publishers, we won't laugh at you if you want to write a book on a specific driver topic that will sell too few copies to make us rich. So, if you want to write a dumbed-down book on Windows internals and sell a few hundred thousand copies, talk to a different publisher. If you want to write a hard-core book on some technical system software topic, send us email at Press@osr.com.
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I'd like to write a book. Is OSR Press willing to publish it?
If you're an expert in the field, and that field directly relates to Windows system software, you should send us email at Press@osr.com and we can talk it over.
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I wish there were a book on [your topic here]. I can't write it, but I sure as heck wish somebody would.
Send us email with your suggestion at Press@osr.com
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Are there academic discounts available for OSR Press books?
Contact us at Press@osr.com and we can discuss it.
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