Self-publishing Textbooks And Instructional Materials: A Practical Guide To Successful--and Respectable--self-publishing

Franklin H. Silverman is a Professor of Speech Pathology at Marquette University (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) and a Clinical Professor of Rehabilitation Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Wauwatosa, Wisconsin). He has authored more than 150 papers in professional journals and 14 major books: Legal-Ethical Considerations, Restrictions, and Obligations for Clinicians who Treat Communicative Disorders (Second Edition, 1992, Charles C. Thomas), Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (Second Edition, 1995, Allyn & Bacon), Communication for the Speechless (Third Edition, 1995, Allyn & Bacon), Stuttering and Other Fluency Disorders (Second Edition, 1996, Allyn & Bacon), Computer Applications for Augmenting the Management of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (Second Edition, 1997, Allyn & Bacon), Research Design and Evaluation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (Fourth Edition, 1998, Allyn & Bacon), Authoring Books and Materials for Students, Academics, and Professionals (1998, Praeger), Fundamentals of Electronics for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists (1999, Allyn & Bacon), Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (1999, Allyn & Bacon), The Telecommunication Relay Service (TRS) Handbook (1999, Aegis), Publishing for Tenure and Beyond (1999, Praeger), Publishing for Teaching and Beyond (2001, Bergin & Garvey), Essentials of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (2003, Atomic Dog), and Essentials of Professional Issues in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (2003, Waveland).

One of his books has been a Main Selection and three have been Alternate Selections in professional book clubs. Translations of several of his books have been published. Since the early 1980s, he has occasionally self-published textbooks and instructional materials and has offered “how to” workshops on self-publishing.

Dr. Silverman is a Fellow of both the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Text and Academic Authors Association and a recipient of the Marquette University Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, Emerson College’s Alumni Achievement Award, the Disabled Children’s Association of Saudi Arabia’s Prize for Scientific Research on Rehabilitation, the Text and Academic Authors Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2003 the Texty Textbook Excellent Award for his first edition of Essentials of Speech, Language, and Hearing Disorders (Atomic Dog). His biography has appeared in Who’s Who in the Midwest, Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in the World, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Who’s Who in World Jewry. He has been conducting academic and professional book authoring and publishing workshops since the mid-1980s under the auspices of the Text and Academic Authors Association, where he is a Past President, and several universities.

In March of 2003 Frank Silverman was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor that ultimately proved inoperable. Undaunted, he worked to the last to revise and update all his books and to find publishing venues for his new projects, including this book, which is based on a self-published work that he distributed through his authoring workshops. In August 2003 in a candid interview with Douglas L. Beck, President and Editor-in-Chief of Speech Pathology Online (http://www.speechpathology.com, quoted with permission), Dr. Silverman talked about “Dying Well.” When asked about “the silver lining,” he said:

The positives are that I get to really concentrate on developing closer relationships. The family became closer. I had time to heal and focus on relationships…. Everyone doesn’t get to do that…. One thing that was amusing is that because I know I am going to die sooner rather than later, I wanted to pick my memorial stone. As you might guess, I got the sample book. Then I had to pick the box, the location, and so many details I never thought much about before. Finally, I decided to have them write, “He taught. He wrote. He helped”…. I’m feeling very fortunate for the time I have had and the time I have left.

Frank Silverman died at home several months later at the age of 70, his family by his side. He did not live to see this book in print but authorized future editions under the publisher’s coauthorship.