Publish With SAS®

If you have great ideas or expertise, we can help you share your knowledge by publishing a book. We're always looking for fresh insights on SAS®, JMP® software, or other business or technical topics.

  • Access to free software.
    Any SAS or JMP software you need to write your book will be provided free of charge.
  • Access to technical expertise.
    Your manuscript will be vetted by SAS programming experts and developers to ensure the best techniques and software are being used in your book.
  • Unparalleled access to SAS users for promotion.
    Our expert marketing team will target SAS and JMP users through multiple social media channels, a variety of analytics and statistics conferences, direct emails, trade shows and training courses.
  • Guidance through the writing process.
    A professional developmental editor will guide you through the writing process and always be available to answer your questions.
  • The stamp of approval from SAS.
    Becoming a SAS Press author demonstrates a level of expertise and a contribution to the users community that sets you apart from others in your field.
     

Interested in Publishing with SAS?  

Please fill out our proposal form so we may review the details of your book idea:

"I really enjoyed working with SAS Press because they were so supportive from start to finish. All of the editors were wonderful. It was a great experience. And for a first-time writer it couldn’t have been a better experience."

Rebecca Ottesen

Frequently Asked Questions for New Authors

What topic should I write about?

Contact an acquisitions editor at SAS Press for the current list of topics we’re recruiting authors to write. However, the best topics are usually the ones that come from your direct experience with SAS software. Here are a few possible topics to consider:

  • SAS programming tips, interesting SAS applications or examples, or approaches to SAS programming in applications development.
  • Various topics in analytics such as data warehousing, data mining, market research, market segmentation, predictive modeling, qualitative data analysis for big data, cluster analysis and more.
  • Industry-related topics such as health care, financial services, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, retail and telecommunications.
  •  Business or thought leadership topics.

What materials will I need to submit in my proposal?

The first step in the publishing process is to submit a proposal, which includes the following elements:

  • Outline or proposed table of contents.
    Our acquisitions editors will use your outline to understand the coverage and level of your proposed book, and can help you develop it if necessary based on technical feedback. Your outline should be detailed enough to help you structure and write your manuscript. It should be divided into chapters, with summaries of each chapter.
  • Writing sample.
    As part of your proposal, we may request a sample chapter. If you’ve already published a paper or other material on the same topic, that may serve as a writing sample.
  • Author questionnaire.
    This questionnaire gives us an overview of your goals for your book, including the audience and market you envision. Your answers will help our team evaluate your proposal accurately and thoroughly. We will send you the questionnaire after you contact us using the online form.
  • CV or resume.

What should I expect during the writing process?

Here's what happens after you sign a book contract:

  • You will be assigned a development editor (DE) who will answer questions and be with you every step of the way – from writing your sample chapter to publication. Your DE will discuss schedules and milestones as well as give you an authoring template, style guidelines and any software you need to write the book.
  • Once you have all the resources you need, you'll write your sample chapter. This will help your DE evaluate your writing style, quality of graphics and output, structure and any potential production issues.
  • The next step is submitting a draft manuscript for technical review. You'll get feedback from internal and external subject-matter experts, and then you can revise the manuscript based on this feedback.
  • When you and your editor are satisfied with the technical content, your DE will perform a substantive edit on your manuscript, taking particular care with the structure and flow of your writing.
  • Once in production, your manuscript will be copy edited by a technical editor at no cost to you.
  • Your book will be published in print and e-book versions and made ready for sale.

How will my book be marketed?

We have direct access to the largest audience for your book: SAS users. As you're developing your book, we'll gather your input on any marketing opportunities you consider important. From there, we'll develop a marketing plan. For more information, download our marketing handbook on how SAS promotes your book. 

Of course, you also serve an important role in marketing your book. We'll ask you to write a few short blog posts or other social media content to help us promote your book through SAS Communities, newsletters or our website. Together, we'll work to provide the best exposure for your book.  For more information, download our author's guide on how you can help market your SAS book.

How Do I Write an Outline?

The outline for your book is one of the key elements of your book proposal. Your outline helps us see the topics you plan to cover, the depth, and the kinds of examples you’ll include. Think of an outline as a preliminary table of contents. The more detailed you can make your outline, the easier it will be to write your book. Readers also appreciate a well-organized, easy-to-follow structure.

Here are some tips to writing a great outline:

  • Determine your scope. Carefully review the scope, purpose, target audience and type of content you plan to include in the book. Keep your overall vision in mind throughout the writing process to help guide the development of your book.
  • Identify topics and subtopics. Depending on the type of book you're writing (tutorial, reference guide, user's guide, and so on), make a list of scenarios that a typical reader might encounter, then group those by related topics. For example, group common programming tasks or types of output. Consult other resources or documentation to see how their information is organized.
  • Organize into chapters. Draft a working outline or table of contents, keeping in mind how many pages it should take to cover each chapter topic. Generally, a length of 20-30 pages per chapter works well, depending on the type of book you're writing. A popular way to organize books is by difficulty level. Begin with introductory chapters such as "Getting Started" or "The Basics," then move on to intermediate and advanced chapter topics.
  • Add subheadings. Make the outline as detailed as possible. Add at least 3-4 subheadings per chapter to explain what content you will cover. Use the numbering feature in Word to help organize different heading levels. Or if you prefer, you can write a few sentences or paragraphs per chapter to convey this information in a narrative format instead.
  • Identify the SAS or JMP features you intend to cover, as well as the nature of the examples. Where you plan to insert examples, identify the SAS or JMP product and features that you’ll be using in the example, the data or kind of data you plan to use, and what the example will illustrate.

Look at the tables of contents for books that are similar to yours. You can find Tables of Contents for all SAS Press books on our site. One example of a well-organized TOC is here. Other publishers often make their TOCs available online as well. Evaluate the approaches that other authors have taken and consider if it will work for your book or if another method might work better. If another book covers the same subject matter, make sure to highlight what makes your book different and unique.

How Should I Prepare My Sample Chapter for the Proposal?

As part of the proposal process, you may be asked to submit a writing sample or sample chapter. If you have already written a paper on the same topic as your proposed book, your paper can often be used as your writing sample. Otherwise, we recommend finishing your outline, then writing a chapter from your proposed book to use as a sample.

The sample chapter helps the review team assess your writing style as well as how accurately you write about SAS software and technology. We are looking for clear, concise writing that can be understood by a global audience. For example, the review team will evaluate some of the following questions about your writing:

  • Does the chapter give a general explanation or a detailed review of the topic?
  • What is the intended audience for the book? Does the chapter speak to the appropriate audience – beginner, intermediate, or advanced?
  • Is there a thorough explanation of code or simply a summary statement?

Our team will review your sample chapter and provide feedback that could help you develop the rest of your book.