

Ask HN: Invited to write a tech book but on an H1B visa – help - nycdev

Recently a major non-US tech publisher invited me to write a book about a programming language I&#x27;m an expert in. I live in NYC but I&#x27;m from Europe.<p>I&#x27;d love to do it and its a huge step in my career if it gets published. However, I&#x27;m on an H1B visa so I think I will have to decline or get...deported? (If the authorities found out?)<p>Has anyone been in this situation before? H1Bs really suck.
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gus_massa
Talk to a lawyer and don’t follow the advice from a random dude from the
Internet like me. But ...

Are you sure that you can’t write the book under a H1B?

Can the book be a part of your work at your current company? They can get a
small cut and some publicity in the acknowledgments and in your biography.
(I’d like to thanks ... and the team from YourCompayHere for the great advices
about ...) (... and he is currently working in YourCompayHere as a ... in ...)

Remember AANAL. Ask a real one.

Also, IIRC the publishers usually pays and advance and a few % of the sales.
(10%?) I don’t know the situation in USA, but here in Argentina one the advice
is to assume that all the money you would see is the advance. The problem with
the cut of the sales is that ... and then ... and so ... then you will get the
money next year but ... and then ... and you never get additional money. If
it’s a best seller you can sue and get your 10%, but if the sales are small
it’s not enough money to sue.

Answer from others random dudes from the Internet: (from
[https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=H1B+book](https://www.google.com.ar/search?q=H1B+book)
)

[http://www.justanswer.com/immigration-
law/7df2d-working-h1b-...](http://www.justanswer.com/immigration-
law/7df2d-working-h1b-want-publish-book-facts.html)

[http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/publishing-book-
on-h1b-vis...](http://www.avvo.com/legal-answers/publishing-book-on-h1b-visa-
and-receive-royalties-1383943.html)

[http://forum.murthy.com/index.php?/topic/53277-publish-
book/](http://forum.murthy.com/index.php?/topic/53277-publish-book/)

Looks like a complex subject. Talk to a lawyer.

