The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook

Why and How to Separate Your Big-Picture Thinking From the Proposal Genre

Why You Should Separate Big-Picture Book Thinking from Your Book Proposal

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 […]

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What to Cut and What to Keep Book Chapters

How do I know what to cut and what to keep from my dissertation?

It all starts with your Book Questions and Chapter Answers. Book Questions and Chapter Answers are powerful tools for transforming your dissertation into a compelling scholarly book. They help you identify and articulate your book’s core argument, ensure each chapter is focused and purposeful, and plan your revision process. Here’s how it works: Your Book

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Academic Book Titles: How to Title Your Monograph, based on 188 Titles

Your book title is an editor’s first data point, and many authors (myself included!) draft terrible titles. Write a strong title with the actionable lessons in this post!

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Seeing your academic book through publishers' eyes

Finding the Right Academic Publisher #1: Seeing Your Book Through University Presses’ Eyes

You—the author—have the ultimate insider’s perspective when it comes to your book. You know everything about each object you analyze and how your ideas develop over the course of your chapters. Publishers come to your book through a very different perspective.

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Can Your Academic Book Reach “A General Audience”?

You might know that your book will need to speak to scholars in your discipline(s) and have heard that it’s unwise to describe your book’s audience as “a general audience interested in [topic]” on your academic book proposal. But regardless of what your book proposal says, you might still hold out hope that your book

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Dissertation-to-Book FAQ

Are you finally ready to start revising your dissertation into an academic book? Or, are you still working on your dissertation, but wondering what the book process ahead looks like? In this comprehensive guide, I answer all your questions about how to go from dissertation to book. What are the best first steps to revising

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Academic Book Proposals: All Your Questions, Answered

Writing and submitting an academic book proposal can seem like a daunting task. Below, I answer some of your most common questions and offer the best resources to consult to prepare your academic book proposal.

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When to submit an academic book proposal

When Should You Submit Your Academic Book Proposal?

Nothing seems to stress authors of first books more than this question: when should I write and submit my academic book proposal to university presses? When I was writing my own first book, the resounding answer my mentors gave was: wait until the full manuscript is done. For a while, this seemed like good advice.

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Acquisitions editors versus series editors

Acquisitions Editors vs Series Editors: Who they Are, What they Do, and How that Affects your Book

You know that you will eventually work with an “editor,” on your book’s path to publication. But did you know that, beyond developmental editors or copy editors (people you or the press hire to help revise and perfect the manuscript), you might also work with two very different types of editors at your university press?

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When Should You Write Your Academic Book Introduction?

The introduction to an academic book is critical, but it’s tricky to write. Authors sometimes assume that they must write the introduction first to help them distill the project’s priorities and sketch out a roadmap for the chapters. Others prefer to save the introduction for last so that it accurately reflects what their book actually

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