How I Turned a Niche Passion for PCGS Slabbed Type Sets into a Technical Book: A Blueprint for Aspiring Authors

Ever stare at a stack of PCGS slabs and think, *”This could be a book?”* I did. Not just any book—a technical book. One that teaches systematic collecting, data modeling, and even coin photography using engineering principles. It got me signed by O’Reilly. And it all started with a spreadsheet.

This isn’t a story about “going viral.” It’s about how I turned a PCGS slabbed type set obsession—116 regular issues, 8 commemoratives, blank planchets, foreign issues—into a structured, technical book. I’ll share how I pitched publishers, built an audience, and wrote with the rigor of a software engineer (because I am one). If you’ve got a niche passion, you can do this too.

Why a Technical Book on a Niche Topic Like PCGS Type Sets?

Major publishers aren’t looking for *another* coin catalog. They want authoritative systems—frameworks that solve real problems. And niche communities? They’re packed with passionate, underserved people.

My “aha” moment: Collectors are data orphans. They spend years building sets but have no way to track, share, or analyze their progress. So I did what any engineer would do: I built a system. I stopped thinking like a collector and started thinking like a data architect.

Instead of just listing coins, I designed a data-driven collecting system. This shift—from anecdotal hobby to technical application—is what made the book viable for O’Reilly, Manning, and Apress.

Reframing Passion as a Technical Framework

Here’s how I translated collecting into code and data problems:

• Each coin = an object with attributes: year, denomination, mint mark, PCGS grade, certification number, acquisition date, price, condition notes. Sound familiar? It’s a database schema.
• Progress tracking = a data pipeline. “Missing” coins? That’s set.difference(target_set) in Python.
• Image documentation = a metadata layer. Linking high-res photos to coin IDs? That’s a REST API endpoint.
• Grading and value = time-series data. Plotting grade evolution over time? That’s analytics.

This wasn’t just “a book about coins.” It was a case study in data organization, version control, and metadata management—topics that speak directly to CTOs, data engineers, and investors who value systematic approaches. Even non-collectors saw value.

Here’s a snippet of the model I built:


class Coin:
def __init__(self, year, denomination, mint_mark, grade, pcgs_id, image_urls=[]):
self.year = year
self.denomination = denomination
self.mint_mark = mint_mark
self.grade = grade
self.pcgs_id = pcgs_id
self.image_urls = image_urls
self.acquired_at = datetime.now()

def is_missing(self, target_set):
return self.pcgs_id not in target_set


Suddenly, my collecting system became technical writing—not just a hobby. And that’s what publishers wanted.

Structuring the Book: From Idea to Chapter Outline

A technical book isn’t a memoir. It’s a tool. It needs a clear problem-solving arc. I structured mine around the PCGS Type Set Lifecycle—a framework collectors could actually use:

• Chapter 1: Defining Your Set (What’s in? What’s out? Blank planchets? CSA issues?)
• Chapter 2: Data Modeling for Collectors (Schema design, normalization, deprecation tracking)
• Chapter 3: Acquisition Pipeline (Marketplaces, auctions, APIs like Heritage, PCGS CoinFacts)
• Chapter 4: Image & Metadata Management (Phone photography, lighting setups, EXIF tagging)
• Chapter 5: Progress Tracking & Analytics (Dashboards, completion metrics, grade evolution)
• Chapter 6: Publishing Your Set (Digital portfolios, API endpoints, community sharing)

This wasn’t just “how to collect.” It was how to systematize collecting—a framework any niche hobby could adapt (stamps, watches, vintage tech).

Chapter 4: Technical Writing for Coin Photography

One of the biggest pain points: how to photograph coins with a phone. Most collectors were stuck with blurry, glare-heavy shots. I turned this into a technical guide—not a casual tutorial.

• Stability: Use a clear glass or PCGS box to stabilize the phone. No handheld shots. A simple fix, but game-changing.
• Lighting: Dual lamps at 9:30 and 2:30. White printer paper as a background to reduce glare. Cheap, effective, repeatable.
• Lens care: Always clean the phone lens. Dust = soft focus. I learned this the hard way after 200 failed shots.
• Metadata: Use apps like Photo Exif Editor to embed PCGS ID, grade, and denomination. Critical for linking photos to your database.

I didn’t just list tips. I gave readers actionable systems:

“Build a ‘photo station’ once. Save lighting angles, camera height, and background color in a config.json file. Reference it in your coin database as ‘photo_protocol_version’. Replicate it every time.”

This is technical authoring strategy: turn personal tricks into repeatable processes. That’s what makes content stick.

Pitching Publishers: O’Reilly, Manning, Apress—Who’s Right for You?

Publishers aren’t interchangeable. Know their appetite:

• O’Reilly: Loves innovative frameworks. I pitched my book as “Data Engineering for Collectors”—emphasizing cross-industry relevance (asset tracking, provenance). They want systems, not just stories.

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• Manning: Focuses on hands-on projects. I proposed a “Build Your Type Set API” companion GitHub repo. They want readers to *do* something.

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• Apress: Accepts niche technical guides, but needs a larger audience. I had to argue for institutional buyers—libraries, universities, even finance departments studying collectibles.

Don’t just say “I’m an expert.” Say “Here’s how I’m solving a problem in a way that matters to your market.”

The Book Proposal That Got Me a Deal

My proposal wasn’t flashy. It was precise. Here’s what worked:

1. Market Need: Over 600K PCGS-certified collectors. Zero technical books on systematic collecting. A huge gap.

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2. Competitive Analysis: Only 3 existing books—all catalog-style. Ours? A system. A tool. That’s the difference.

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3. Sample Chapter: Chapter 2 (Data Modeling), with ER diagrams and SQL schema. Showed I could write like an engineer.
4. Timeline: 6 months (3 chapters/month), with biweekly check-ins. Proved I could deliver.
5. Author Platform: 10K+ followers on Instagram for coin photography. Active in Reddit r/coins. I wasn’t starting from zero.

O’Reilly accepted in 3 weeks. Why? I spoke their language: data, systems, automation. I didn’t just write about coins—I wrote about how to *think* about them technically.

Building an Audience Before the Book Launches

You can’t launch a book to crickets. I started 18 months early—before I even wrote a word.

• Microcontent: Daily “Coin Photo Tip” posts on LinkedIn. Example: “Toilet paper rolls > tripods for phone stability.” Simple, practical, shareable.
• Community Engagement: Hosted a virtual “Type Set Showcase” event. Streamed live on YouTube. Got 500+ collectors to share their sets. Built trust.
• Email List: Offered a free “PCGS Set Builder Toolkit” (spreadsheet + photo guide) via Mailchimp. Grew to 2,500+ subscribers. Warm audience = better launch.
• Publisher Collaboration: O’Reilly promoted early chapters to its 2M+ newsletter subscribers. Leveraged their reach, not just my own.

Audience-building isn’t marketing. It’s providing value early. Solve problems. Answer questions. Be the resource you wish you had.

SEO & AdSense Optimization

For better search rankings and ad revenue, focus on what collectors *actually* search for:

• Targeted long-tail keywords: “how to photograph PCGS coins”, “build a U.S. type set with data”, “PCGS slabbed coin tracking spreadsheet”.

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• Used schema.org/Book markup on my website. Helped Google understand the content.

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• Created a “Related Reading” section with internal links to my blog posts. Kept readers on-site longer.

SEO isn’t about tricks. It’s about answering real questions—especially in niche topics where information is scarce.

Navigating the Writing Process: 3 Lessons from a Published Author

1. Write in Sprints, Not Sittings

Big writing days? Rare. I used 90-minute morning sprints: chapter outline → draft → review with publisher → revise. Capped at 2,000 words/week. Slow, steady, sustainable. Consistency beats volume.

2. Use Version Control for Your Manuscript

Git isn’t just for code. I stored chapters in a GitHub repo:


/book/
/chapters/
01-defining-set.md
02-data-modeling.md
/images/
/scripts/
generate-pdf.py
README.md


Branches: draft, publisher-review, final. Merged only after approval. No more lost edits or confusing file names. Version control = peace of mind.

3. Treat the Book as a Product, Not a Project

I didn’t just write a book. I launched a collecting system:

• A companion GitHub repo with code, templates, and sample data. Made it interactive.

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• A Discord server for readers to share their sets. Built a community.
• Monthly “Office Hours” webinars. Answered questions, shared new tips. Kept engagement high.

A technical book shouldn’t end at publication. It should keep evolving—just like your systems.

Your Niche Can Be a Technical Book

You don’t need a mainstream topic. You need:

• A framework that turns passion into a system. (Mine? Data + collecting.)
• A publisher match that values your angle. (O’Reilly for systems, Manning for projects, Apress for niche guides.)
• An audience-building strategy that starts before you write. (Microcontent, community, free tools.)
• Technical rigor—use code, data, and design patterns to elevate your content. (Engineers don’t just write; they build.)

My journey—from a collector sharing coins online to an O’Reilly author—is proof: deep expertise in a niche is more valuable than shallow knowledge in a broad field.

Start small. Take your passion. Ask: *”How can I systematize this?”* Build a framework. Write with precision. And remember: if you’re passionate about it, there’s an audience waiting—even if they don’t know it yet. That’s the power of technical authoring.

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