When I edit an academic book manuscript, one of the key things I do is ask: “What does this [book, chapter, section] promise to do? And what does it ACTUALLY do?” These questions take time to answer, but they generate incredibly helpful insights. In the book or chapter introduction, I look for the “I argue […]
What Your Book Promises and What It Does Read More »
One of the biggest challenges of writing an academic monograph is that writing and revising them is a process that unfolds over years. During that time, you’re also expected to publish standalone articles and, toward the end of your book project, begin work on your next major project. This means you need to keep moving
How I Successfully Balance Multiple Writing Projects Simultaneously (Parallel Writing) Read More »
Picture yourself looking at your calendar and seeing a one-hour block of potential writing time. Perhaps it’s early morning before classes, a lunch break, or that quiet window between meetings. Does it feel insufficient for “real” scholarly work? Many academics dismiss such periods, waiting instead for those mythical full days of uninterrupted writing time. Some
How to Think Differently about That “Small” Hour of Writing Read More »
If you’ve ever struggled with chapters that feel a bit unfocused or overwrought, know that you’re definitely not alone. As writers, it’s easy to get caught up in our ideas and end up with chapters that are trying to do too much. But there’s a really useful strategy that can help: reverse outlining with claim
Revising Chapters Strategically: Reverse Outlining with Claim and Function Tags Read More »
Academic books are categorized in multiple ways as they make their journey from manuscript to library shelf. Understanding these classification systems can help authors think more strategically about their audience and how their book will reach readers. Let’s explore the key systems that shape how academic books are acquired, marketed, and discovered. University Press Subject
The Academic Author’s Guide to Book Classification and Discovery Read More »
Picture this: You’re sitting at your desk, surrounded by your research materials—primary sources, theoretical texts, archival notes—and that manuscript deadline looms. Instead of writing, you’re reorganizing your citations, diving into yet another secondary source, or perhaps even doing your taxes. Sound familiar? As humanities scholars, we often find ourselves doing anything but the writing we
Writing an academic book typically takes years. Complicating matters, you often have to work on other projects (like journal articles) while working on the book. Sustaining momentum on any writing project—let alone such a big one—can be challenging. Below are a set of practices I use to set myself up for success. Planning & Pre-Work
How I Sustain Momentum on Writing Projects Read More »
Have you been told you need to trim a chapter? Do you suspect that one or more of your chapters is sprawling or unfocused? If the answer to either question is “yes,” you may be looking for chapter-wrangling strategies. Read on to get our best tips! If you have to trim your chapter by a
Strategies for Wrangling Long Chapters in Academic Books Read More »
Are you working on your first scholarly book, struggling to distill your book’s tightly argued, significant claim? Have you been wondering if your argument will emerge as the sum of its parts? I (Katelyn), too, was there not long ago, existentially afraid that my book had no argument. I tried various tactics, like writing through
Everything You Need to Know About Academic Book Arguments Read More »
When you’re working on turning your dissertation into a book, it’s essential to have a clear sense of your book’s overall argument and structure. But many authors believe they need to write their book proposal first to gain that big-picture perspective. However, we recommend separating your big-picture book thinking from the actual writing of your
Why You Should Separate Big-Picture Book Thinking from Your Book Proposal Read More »
