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 »
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!
Academic Book Titles: How to Title Your Monograph, based on 188 Titles Read More »
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
Can Your Academic Book Reach “A General Audience”? Read More »
You might have heard that it’s a good idea to publish journal article versions of one or more of your book chapters but been warned that publishing too much from the book can jeopardize your book’s chances with university presses. Both are true. In this post, I outline why you definitely should publish some of
Pre-Publishing Material from Your Book: How Much, Why, and What to Choose Read More »
William Germano, author of From Dissertation to Book, asserts that books originating out of dissertations struggle to shake “dissertation style.” Beyond stylistic tendencies like passive voice, first book authors, he contends, are rarely able to foreground their voice while engaging with existing scholarship. All too often, their voice gets lost in the shuffle. I knew
How to Balance Your Voice With Others’ in Your First Book: Learning Best Practices Read More »
When you begin writing your first academic book–or, more likely, revising your dissertation into a book–it’s important to choose a few model books to help you understand your field’s norms. Deconstructing and emulating model books can also increase your confidence in your own first academic book. But not all books are created equal when it
How to Choose Model Academic Books to Emulate for Your First Book Read More »
