How to publish a textbook: guides for college instructors
Practical, plain-language answers to the questions instructors ask before — and after — they decide to write a textbook. Written by the editors at Linus Learning.
Self-Publishing vs an Academic Publisher for Your Textbook
An honest comparison for instructors: control, cost, quality, credibility, adoption, accessibility and LMS access — where self-publishing wins, where a publisher wins, and how to decide.
Read the guide →From Lecture Notes to Textbook: Turning Course Materials into a Book
Your syllabus is an outline, your notes are chapters in draft and your problem sets are the exercises. How to audit what you have, find the gaps, and shape a course into a textbook.
Read the guide →How to Publish a Textbook: A Complete Guide for College Instructors
From the course you already teach to a book students can buy: the stages of textbook publishing, what a publisher looks for, and how to start without a finished manuscript.
Read the guide →What Happens After You Submit a Textbook Proposal
The editorial read, instructor review, revision and the offer — what each stage is for, what publishers are deciding, and what you can usefully do while you wait.
Read the guide →How to Write a Textbook Proposal (with Template)
The nine sections every publisher asks for, what an acquisitions editor is really reading for in each one, and the mistakes that get otherwise good proposals declined.
Read the guide →Getting Your Textbook Adopted: Desk Copies, Instructor Resources and LMS Access
Textbooks sell when instructors assign them. How adoption decisions are actually made, what removes friction — desk copies, ancillaries, accessibility, LMS access — and what an author can usefully do.
Read the guide →Can I Assign My Own Textbook? Conflict-of-Interest Policies Explained
Most institutions allow instructors to assign their own textbook — with conditions. The common policy patterns, how to find yours, and how to handle royalties on your own students' purchases.
Read the guide →Textbook Proposal Template & Checklist
Nine short sections covering everything a publisher needs to evaluate a textbook idea — audience, table of contents, comparable titles, your background and a sample-chapter checklist. Complete it in an afternoon.
Have a book in you?
Tell a publishing editor about the course you would turn into a book — a sentence is enough to start.
Ask an Editor