I canceled my book deal

Contract, Advance, and Responsibility

• Commenters initially assumed the author kept an advance without delivering; re-reading the post clarified no advance was ever paid because the “first-third” milestone was never met.
• Several note the publisher spent real editorial time and got nothing; others counter that both sides agreed to “freeze” then terminate, so no one was wronged.
• Some push back on narratives framing this as the publisher “killing” the book; they see the main cause as missed deadlines and loss of motivation.

Publisher Behavior and AI Trend Pressure

• The “all of our future books will involve AI” line triggers strong reactions; many see it as emblematic of an industry chasing fads under economic pressure.
• Others with publishing experience say adding AI chapters is now close to industry-wide, especially for first-time technical authors, but also argue that most editorial feedback (including “dumbing down”) is normal and often improves clarity.
• A few are surprised by how hands‑on and controlling this publisher seems, compared to their typically lighter-touch experiences.

Self‑Publishing vs Traditional Publishing

• Multiple authors report better economics, control, and flexibility from self‑publishing (often via Amazon or Leanpub); with a decent audience, royalties can far exceed a traditional 10–15%.
• In contrast, some who moved a previously self‑published book to a major publisher say the main gain was prestige, perceived authority, and high-quality editing—not money.
• Many encourage the author to self‑publish the original “classic projects” concept; some express skepticism about pre-orders given the previous unfinished manuscript.

AI vs Books for Learning

• One thread argues LLMs make such project-based books less necessary; many strongly disagree, citing: curated structure, progressive projects, reviewed code, and a coherent narrative as things chatbots don’t reliably provide.
• Others report good experiences using LLMs as interactive tutors or as companions to books, but warn about hallucinations and over-reliance.

Writing, Audience, and Market Realities

• Several emphasize how hard it is to finish a book versus enjoying the idea of being an author.
• Tension recurs between writing for intermediates vs including beginner “intro to Python/pip” chapters that broaden the market but annoy advanced readers.
• Commenters note most technical books sell poorly, many never earn out advances, and publishers now expect authors to do much of their own marketing.