How to Write a Technical Book: My O’Reilly Publishing Journey with Numismatic Data

From Coin Collection to Published Authority: My Unexpected Journey Writing a Technical Book

Let me tell you how my dusty coin collection turned into an O’Reilly technical book. What started as hobby spreadsheets tracking 18th century coins became something I never expected – a published guide bridging numismatics and data science. I’ll walk you through my entire process, from spotting technical patterns in old coins to surviving O’Reilly’s rigorous review. Trust me, if I can turn my basement full of Spanish doubloons into a career-defining book, you can transform your niche expertise too.

The Turning Point: When My Coin Logs Became Technical Gold

Like most collectors, I began with simple tracking. But something shifted when I noticed my spreadsheet wasn’t just recording coins – it was revealing hidden patterns:

| Coin ID | Origin | Year | Material | Weight (g) | Provenance |
|---------|--------|------|----------|------------|------------|
| NJ-01 | USA | 1786 | Copper | 10.89 | Heritage |
| FUG-02 | USA | 1787 | Copper | 9.76 | Private |

Suddenly, those weight variations weren’t just numbers. They hinted at minting inconsistencies, historical context, and material science principles. That’s when I realized: this wasn’t just a hobby log. It was the foundation for teaching data professionals how to analyze historical artifacts.

Cracking the Book Proposal Code

What Made O’Reilly Say Yes: My 4-Part Formula

After three rejections, I finally nailed my proposal with:

• Real Market Need: Showcased 37% annual growth in numismatic data tools
• Practical Chapter Design: Hands-on explorations of carbon dating verification
• Clear Competitive Edge: Missing ML applications in existing guides
• Platform Hook: Ready-to-run Jupyter Notebooks for coin image analysis

Choosing My Publishing Partner: The Reality Check

Here’s the sobering comparison I made during my 6-month pitch marathon:

| Criteria | O'Reilly | Manning | Apress |
|-----------------|----------|-----------|------------|
| Royalty Rates | 10-15% | 12-18% | 6-10% |
| Tech Review | Required | Optional | Minimal |
| Marketing Reach | Global | Niche | Moderate |
| Production Time | 9 months | 12 months | 6 months |

O’Reilly’s brutal review process scared me, but their distribution convinced me it was worth the pain.

Structuring Technical Content That Connects

My Repeatable Chapter Template (Using Real Coins)

Each chapter followed this concrete framework, like with my 1799 Silver Dollar:

1. High-res image walkthrough (even scratches tell stories)
2. Historical detective work (digging through moldy mint ledgers)
3. Data capture realities (what I wish I knew about worn engravings)
4. Python in action (extracting meaningful patterns from chaos)

Cold Data Meets Hot History: My Storytelling Breakthrough

The “aha” moment came when writing about mint errors like this 1672 British penny:

“Double-striking isn’t just a curiosity – it’s a time capsule. By measuring strike angles and displacement vectors, we reverse-engineered 17th century minting techniques more accurately than any historian could from documents alone.”

Growing an Audience Before My Book Existed

Why I Open-Sourced My Tools Early

Releasing basic coin analysis scripts 6 months pre-launch did something magical:

# Coin Metadata Extractor
import exifread
def get_coin_metadata(image_path):
with open(image_path, 'rb') as f:
tags = exifread.process_file(f)
return {tag: str(tags[tag]) for tag in tags.keys()}

The GitHub community improved my code AND helped shape chapter examples.

Creating Standards That Stuck

These proprietary metrics became the backbone of my book:

• Surface Integrity Score (SIS) – quantifying wear patterns
• Historical Significance Index (HSI) – context beyond metal value
• Provenance Confidence Metric (PCM) – tracing ownership gaps

1,200 Writing Hours: My Hard-Won Lessons

The Accuracy Gauntlet Every Claim Faced

Nothing slipped through without:

1. Grilling by grumpy numismatic experts (coffee helped)
2. Physical verification (yes, I melted some replicas)
3. Cross-referencing obscure archives (special thanks to Lisbon’s mint museum)

My Battle-Tested Writing Toolkit

After testing 14 combinations, this stack survived:

Pitching to Publishers: Niche Is Your Superpower

The Spreadsheet That Hooked My Editor

This data point sealed the deal:

“The $3.2B numismatic market has zero technical guides bridging data science and collectible analysis. Our book owns this white space completely.”

O’Reilly’s 3-Stage Crucible

Surviving their review meant:

• Every code snippet running flawlessly (no cheating)
• Historians certifying date claims (even controversial ones)
• Grading services validating methods (PCGS still uses my PCM)

Life After Publication: From Writer to Authority

Unexpected Doors That Opened

The book led to:

• PyData keynotes (terrifying but rewarding)
• Auction house consulting (authenticating Jefferson nickels)
• A thriving newsletter (12k subscribers analyzing coin data)

What Readers Demanded in Edition Two

Your feedback drove these additions:

1. Blockchain provenance trails (surprisingly elegant)
2. ML counterfeit spotting (catches fakes I miss)
3. 3D scan analysis (reveals hidden wear patterns)

Your Technical Authority Roadmap

My journey from coin nerd to O’Reilly author taught me this: specialized knowledge becomes invaluable when you structure it right. Whether you’re analyzing ancient drachmas or modern NFTs, these principles hold:

• Find unserved technical intersections (they’re everywhere)
• Build in public before publishing (GitHub is your friend)
• Match publishers to your goals (royalties aren’t everything)
• Let passion fuel professionalism (it shows in your writing)

Those coins collecting dust in my study? They’re now career rocket fuel. Your expertise could be next.

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