From Software Business Community

Foundations of Software Business: Plan for authoring the book

Foundations of Software Business is an edited book, with the editors choosing authors for their enthusiasm and expertise and helping to guide and integrate the results.

The book project will be guided by an Editor in Chief, who will plan the overall division into parts and chapters, and assign each chapter to one or more Editors with strong expertise in that area. Editors will recruit Authors (and evaluate and choose volunteers), and guide and oversee their activities, with an emphasis on the integration of the material across disciplines and across chapters. We anticipate that Authors will be drawn from the ranks of researchers and practitioners with considerable experience and broad perspective. The wiki-based collaboration platform makes it much easier for Authors and Editors to collaborate effectively. Volunteers who are native speakers of English will serve as Copy Editors, checking spelling, grammar, and style.

Writing stages

Only Editors and Authors are permitted to edit the book. However, each Section will have an associated discussion thread where all community members can post comments and suggestions for the Authors and Editors. Each Section will pass through the following stages:

1. Stub: The title and scope of the chapter has been defined, but essentially nothing has been written. The Editors are soliciting author and editor volunteers.
2. Working draft: The writing is in progress, but not yet finalized. The draft is published so as to solicit comments from the community and other authors, and also as a vehicle for coordination with other chapters.
3. Final draft: Writing is complete, and the draft is undergoing peer review and the resulting revisions.
4. Final: The revisions are complete, and the chapter is ready for prime time!

New versions and editions

When, in the judgment of the Editors, major revision and updating of a chapter is justified, the original Authors or additional Authors will be recruited to create a new version. For a typical chapter, this will occur on a two- to five-year cycle. Because of the need for some predictability, especially in using the book as a textbook, the book as a whole will follow a regular cycle of editions, new editions appearing approximately annually. Each new edition will incorporate all new section versions that have become finalized since the last edition. All past editions of the book will be available indefinitely, for their archival value and for the benefit of instructors who may be using the book as a textbook. and all new chapter versions not yet incorporated into a new edition will also be available.

As with a traditional edited book with multiple authors, the authorship of each chapter will be identified in the chapter heading. The Editors will also be identified on the title page of the book, and also at the end of those chapters for which they have responsibility. Thus, just as with a traditional printed edited book, Authors and Editors may list their contributions on their resume or curriculum vitae as a peer-reviewed archival publication.