[jimmysong]

I wrote Programming Bitcoin for O'Reilly and it was published 3 years ago. Some observations:

* You won't make that much money directly, but I have probably made a good amount indirectly. The credibility from having published an O'Reilly book is not to be underestimated.

* I got the animal I wanted (honey badger) by asking for it. I did justify the ask by showing my editor the Bitcoin honeybadger memes.

* The book writing process was a grind. Because my book was so focused on programming exercises, I wrote my own suite of testing tools to make sure everything was consistent. It felt more like a software engineering project than a bunch of blog posts.

* I have since introduced more people to my intake editor and they've published their own O'Reilly books.

* I don't get much of a discount on my own book. I just buy them through Amazon.

* They give you a framed picture of your cover when your book publishes.