Editors, Coaches, and Consultants — What's the Difference?

Many different kinds of professionals—editors, coaches, and consultants—can help academic authors reach their publishing goals. But how do you figure out which kind of support you really want or need? This post outlines what each role does and how they can help you with your book project.

Don't Be TOO Timely: Why "ripped from the headlines" isn't the best pitch strategy for scholarly books

Scholarly books rarely have the most timely hooks...for good reason. This post discusses how relying on recent headlines can hurt your academic book proposal and some other ways you can use current events to your advantage when it comes time to promote your book.

Between Advance Contract and Final Book Manuscript Submission

What goes into producing the final manuscript of an academic book? Here’s how I navigated the timeline, responded to reader reports, and made the final revisions after signing an advance contract.

How One Author Revised Her Dissertation into an Academic Book

What does it take to turn your dissertation into a book manuscript? Where do you find support? The author of Fighting Visibility shares her experience as a first-time author and how she got her academic book published.

When and How to Follow Up with a Publisher in the Covid Era

An incredible amount of uncertainty and waiting come with publishing an academic book. Here are some scenarios to run through to help you decide how to follow up on an earlier conversation with an acquisitions editor.

Are You Sure You Know What a "Trade Publisher" Is? Let's Clear It Up

Different kinds of publishers prioritize different kinds of texts. Books by academics are published by university presses, commercial academic presses, and sometimes trade presses. So where should you send your book proposal? Here is a breakdown of where your academic book manuscript might fit and might not.

When One Publisher Responds and Another Doesn't

A lot of unexpected questions come up once you begin contacting academic publishers about your book project. This post addresses the question of what you should do when one publisher responds positively but you haven’t heard back from the other publishers you’ve submitted to.

How to Negotiate a Book Contract Offer from a Publisher

You receive an offer to publish your academic book manuscript. Now what happens? Here are some points a scholarly author should keep in mind as they review a contract or publishing agreement when it's offered by a publisher, along with some tips about items you may be able to negotiate for.

Where Does Your Time Go?

How do you spend your working hours? Here are some tips how to use time tracking and categorizing to organize your tasks and become more aware of your patterns. These methods will be helpful for academics, freelancers, and others who have a lot to do but little mandated structure for their work activities.

The Dreaded Copy Edits

Unless you are a copyeditor, it’s difficult to know what it is they do and how they read a text. It’s also easy to feel as if the copy edits on your manuscript are a personal attack. This post gives you the inside scoop on the function of a copyeditor and why they probably aren’t out to radically change your manuscript or undermine your work.

Covers and Titles: Tips for Academic Authors from a Book Designer

What does the design process of a book cover entail? Get a peek behind the scenes in this interview with a book designer for an academic press, including tips for authors to think about as they navigate the publication process.

How to Talk to an Acquisitions Editor and What Questions to Ask

Speaking about your research to a complete stranger can feel daunting, especially if that stranger is an acquisitions editor. Here are some tips for reframing how you think about the introductory conversation and some questions to ask while you’re there.

How to Find the Best Academic Developmental Editor for You

How do you find an editor for your academic manuscript? How do you evaluate a developmental editor’s fit for your project and goals? This post gives you an overview of what to keep in mind and suggests some ways of figuring out if an editor is the right fit for you.

How to Field Offers from Multiple Scholarly Publishers

You’ve written the book proposal, now how do you secure a contract? This post walks you through the experience of submitting an academic proposal to multiple presses and what to expect at this stage. It also gives a behind the scene look at how I fielded multiple offers and decided on the best publisher for my book.

How to Get Interest from Publishers Before Your Book Is Even Written

An idea for a book can come from anything—even something you’re working on right now. Find out how The Book Proposal Book grew from an idea into a book project that received interest from multiple university press editors.

10 Quick Ways to Work on Your Academic Book Proposal between Teaching, Meetings, Surviving a Pandemic, and Having a Life

How do you maintain momentum on your goal of publishing an academic book while juggling all your other responsibilities? Here are 10 low-stress things you can do to make progress on your book proposal even while chaos explodes around you.

Should You Pitch Your Book Proposal Before You Finish Your Academic Book Manuscript? Or Should You Write the Full Manuscript Before Submitting the Proposal?

Whether you submit your book proposal before or after your academic book manuscript is finished largely depends on your personal preferences, circumstances, and target presses. Here are some questions to consider to help you decide.

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