How to publish an IR book ….
and is it worth it?
Challenges and opportunities in medical publishing
W
riting a book can be a challenge—but the sweat (and maybe tears) is worth it on
the other end. Three published IRs, J. David Prologo, MD, FSIR; Ziv J Haskal, MD, FSIR; and Kumar Madassery, MD, FSIR, shared their journey of writing and seeking publication during a Compelling Conversation at the SIR 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting.
Among other works, Dr. Prologo wrote two books at opposite ends of spectrum, one for the lay public and one textbook on pain management.
Dr. Haskal recently published an “Extreme IR” coffee table book as well as a general topic IR playbook, and Dr. Madassery produced a book on limb salvage with over 60 expert perspectives.
What was your incentive to write your first book? J. David Prologo, MD, FSIR: I wanted to be famous. I had seen other doctors like Dr. Atkins who published a book and were off to fame and fortune. But I learned it’s the other way around—you need fame and fortune first to have a
platform to sell to the general public. You can’t publish first and then have that platform suddenly materialize.
My lay book was a labor of love. I’m glad I did it and would do it again.
The textbook, which is more recent, was an answer to questions I get 10 times a day. I wanted to make a comprehensive resource on advanced pain management. This book was an altruistic endeavor, but it was a nightmare. You think you’ll outsource to 30 experts, and they’ll give you back a chapter ready to go. Instead, we ended up with 55 chapters that had to be reformatted and edited.
Ziv J Haskal, MD, FSIR: The IR Playbook came to be when a resident said they wanted to write a book. Like every student who wants to write a paper, you agree to it, but not many will follow through. But she kept coming back, so I kept assigning her tasks. I had her look at the market, then do a SWOT analysis of the need and the competitive landscape. Then she wrote an example chapter, approached publishers and kept
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