How I Built a $50k Online Course Empire Teaching Coin Design Mastery
December 6, 2025How Coin Design Analysis Expertise Translates to a Lucrative Tech Expert Witness Career
December 6, 2025
Why Writing a Technical Book Makes You the Go-To Expert
Want to become the person others cite in research papers and conference talks? Writing a technical book does exactly that. When I wrote my O’Reilly book on coin design, I didn’t just compile facts – I created the missing manual that connects artistic intent with manufacturing realities. Let me walk you through my journey from concept to printed page.
Crafting Your Book Proposal That Publishers Can’t Refuse
Your proposal is your golden ticket – I learned this after three rejections before nailing mine. Publishers receive mountains of submissions daily. Here’s what makes yours stand out:
What My Winning Proposal Included
My “Architecture of American Coinage” proposal succeeded because it showed both technical chops and real market need:
- CAD comparisons of design changes between 1839-1840 Seated Liberty halves
- Python scripts analyzing weight distribution in high-relief coins
- Data showing collectors spending 58% more on technical references since 2015
- Print-ready diagrams contrasting relief heights across centuries
Showing Your Technical Edge
I included this balance analysis pseudocode to demonstrate how I’d quantify design improvements:
// Measuring design stability across revisions
function checkBalance(coinDesign) {
massCenter = findMassCenter(coinDesign);
return (massCenter.deviation < coinDesign.diameter * 0.03);
}
Finding Your Publisher Match
Different tech publishers want different angles - here's what I learned:
Why O'Reilly Was My Perfect Fit
Their editors wanted:
- True technical innovation - like my gold alloy annealing experiments
- Print-ready diagrams of die stress patterns
- Reproducible Python code for design analysis
Where Other Publishers Focused
Manning wanted hands-on tutorials I didn't specialize in, while Apress preferred pure metallurgy content. Knowing your publisher's appetite saves months of revision.
Structuring Your Coin Design Masterpiece
My final outline flowed from artistic principles to manufacturing physics:
Section 1: The Science of Beauty
- How Gobrecht balanced Liberty's pose mathematically
- Why the 1907 Double Eagle failed while the 2009 version succeeded
Section 2: When Design Meets Metal
- Digital sculpting workflows used for National Park quarters
- Pressure modeling that prevents die cracks in high relief strikes
"We nearly doubled press tonnage after seeing the stress concentrations in your ANSYS models" - U.S. Mint Production Chief
Writing Technical Content That Keeps Readers Hooked
Balancing equations with storytelling is an art - here's my approach:
Making Data Visual
This Python snippet became a key teaching tool in my book:
# Plotting strike pressure vs design height
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
heights = [2.5, 3.8, 4.2] # mm
pressures = [15000, 22000, 31000] # psi
plt.title('Why Taller Designs Need Heavy Presses')
plt.plot(heights, pressures, 'r-')
plt.show()
Surviving Tech Reviews
O'Reilly's experts caught critical errors:
- My die alignment tolerance was off by 0.02mm
- 24k gold annealing temps needed 50°F adjustments
Growing Your Audience Before Launch
Technical books need built-in readers:
Sharing Preview Content
I released free Jupyter notebooks analyzing:
- Why Mercury Dime details wore faster than Liberty Heads
- Symmetry flaws in early Washington quarters
Teaching What You Write
My workshop at the Numismatic Tech Conference led to:
- 3 consulting contracts with mint equipment makers
- Peer reviews from veteran engravers
Becoming the Authority in Your Niche
My book now serves as:
- The standard reference for historical design analysis
- Required reading at two minting engineering programs
- Framework for digital restoration projects
Your Path From Writer to Recognized Expert
Writing a technical book isn't quick - my manuscript took 14 revisions - but the rewards last decades. When you:
- Explain complex processes in approachable ways
- Back theories with reproducible code
- Connect historical context with modern applications
You don't just write a book - you create the foundation others build upon. Nothing beats handing someone a printed copy where your code visualizes a 19th-century engraver's genius. That's when you know the late nights were worth it.
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