How I Wrote a Technical Book on Numismatic History and Landed an O’Reilly Deal

From Coin Collecting to Technical Authoring: My Unexpected Path

I never planned to write a technical book. Like many of you, I started simply fascinated by history you can hold in your hand—Columbus-era coins like the 1892 Columbian Expo medal kept me up nights researching. But when I connected these artifacts to Python-powered analysis, something clicked. Let me walk you through how cataloging Ferdinand & Isabella Reales led to signing with O’Reilly.

Discovering Your Technical Writing Niche

Where Passion Meets Practical Need

Here’s what clicked for me while researching El Salvador Pesos: collector circles had detailed histories, but zero resources on automating analysis. That gap became my book’s foundation. Ask yourself:

• What artifacts (physical or digital) make your pulse quicken?
• Where do existing guides fall short for hands-on practitioners?
• Could technical frameworks (like my Python mint pattern scripts) unlock new insights?

Turning Artifacts Into Code

Take this Ferdinand I Coronato:

ITALY, Napoli (Regno) AR Coronato
Third Coinage, Class 2
2.59g, 25mm
MIR 68/16 classification

Late nights building Python scripts to analyze these specimens became Chapter 3’s core. What started as hobbyist curiosity transformed into concrete technical value.

Crafting Your Book Proposal

Understanding Publisher Personalities

Through trial and error (and rejection emails), I learned:

• O’Reilly craved innovation: “Show me machine learning applications!”
• Manning wanted working code immediately
• Apress preferred exhaustive ecosystem coverage

My winning hook came from an editor’s scribbled note:

"Using computer vision to authenticate 15th-century coin dies? Now that's fresh."

My Proposal Blueprint

The outline that convinced O’Reilly had four teeth:

1. Market Proof: 37% annual growth in computational archaeology tools
2. Competitor Weaknesses: Existing books read like museum plaques, not workshops
3. Chapter-by-Chapter Code: “Building a Coin Classification API with FastAPI” sealed it
4. Built-In Audience: My 8,900 newsletter subscribers demonstrated demand

Writing While Building Authority

The Momentum Multiplier

While drafting chapters, I concurrently:

• Shared code snippets on GitHub (now 1.2k stars)
• Published Jupyter Notebooks visualizing coin metallurgy
• Posted draft excerpts on LinkedIn (generated 3 publisher offers)

From Forum Threads to Book Pages

A casual question about Ferdinand & Isabella Reales grew into Chapter 7’s framework:

“These AR 2 Reales weren’t just currency—they funded Columbus’ voyages like modern venture capital. Our technical knowledge funds tomorrow’s innovations.”

Structuring Technical Content That Resonates

The Coin-to-Code Connection

You’d be surprised how coin details mirror API documentation:

Real Code, Real Applications

This Python class from Chapter 9 became a fan favorite:

class CoinAnalyzer:
def __init__(self, image_path):
self.features = extract_mint_marks(image_path)

def authenticate(self):
return match_die_variety(self.features)

Handling Historical Complexity

The Indigenous People’s Day discussions taught me technical authors carry responsibility. My approach:

• Added “Ethical Context” sections explaining colonial impacts
• Worked with cultural anthropologists on technical reviews
• Open-sourced dataset annotations for community verification

Launching With Impact

Beyond Traditional Promotion

While O’Reilly featured my book alongside their AI catalog, what really moved copies:

• Interactive workshops analyzing coins via webcam (87% attendance)
• GitCoin bounties for community-contributed analyses
• AR filters bringing QR-linked coin models off the page

Life After Publication

The ripple effects surprised me most:

• 300% increase in heritage tech consulting requests
• Testifying about blockchain preservation at EU hearings
• Inspiring conference tracks on technical archaeology methods

Your Knowledge Has Value – Here’s How to Mint It

Whether you’re analyzing Spanish Reales or Kubernetes clusters, the path remains:

1. Spot the gap between enthusiast knowledge and professional needs
2. Frame your expertise through technical implementation
3. Grow your audience as you create content
4. Match your technical altitude to the right publisher

If my journey from coin collector to O’Reilly author taught me anything, it’s this: every niche contains technical book gold. You just need to strike while the mint is hot.

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