publishing process

Out-Of-Pocket Costs for Academic Book Authors

Sometimes there are out-of-pocket costs associated with publishing your academic book. An author may want to invest in hiring an indexer, a copy editor, a developmental editor, a proofreader, someone to assist with image permissions, or a publicist. Even if you take on most of the work yourself, you may incur some costs. This post breaks down some of them so you can plan and budget accordingly.

10 Problems with Scholarly Book Manuscripts (and How to Fix Them)

This post includes a list of the top 10 most common problems I’ve encountered in scholarly book manuscripts along with suggestions for addressing them. Feel free to use these items as a checklist for revising your own draft for publication.

Should You Publish Your Book in a Series?

Many authors wonder whether they should consider publishing their scholarly book as part of a series at a university press. This post includes information that can help authors decide whether a series is the right fit for their next book.

Pitching a Digital Project to Scholarly Publishers

I often hear from authors wondering how to pitch their digital research. This post includes some opportunities for digital publication at university presses.

How Not to Burn Bridges with Publishers

Sometimes an author finds themselves in a situation where they want to extricate themselves from a publishing process they have begun at a particular press without burning a bridge. Here are some considerations for communicating with editors in these tricky scenarios.

How to Handle Early Interest from Publishers

It can be exciting when a publisher expresses interest in your book project, but many authors are unsure how to respond when it happens before a manuscript is ready to submit. This post includes my responses to common questions about engaging with publishers early in the publishing process.

How to Come Up with Comparable Works for Your Academic Book Proposal

It can be difficult to understand what publishers mean when they ask for “comps” or “comparable and competing titles” in their book proposal guidelines. This guide demystifies this part of the book proposal process and offers some tips on how to effectively position your book in relation to other titles.

How to Write Chapter Summaries for Your Book Proposal

Chapter summaries — sometimes called an annotated table of contents — are key elements in a book proposal. I break down what to include in your chapter summaries in order to make the best case for your book with publishers and peer reviewers.

Pep Talks for Nervous Academic Authors

The academic book publishing process can feel daunting and mysterious. It’s ok to feel nervous about it. Here are some helpful thoughts to ease your nerves and keep in mind after you submit your book proposal or book manuscript to scholarly publishers.

The Easiest Way to Get Your Academic Book Proposal Rejected and How to Avoid It

Fit plays a major role in the evaluation of a book proposal. Here are some ways to discover if your academic book manuscript will match up with your list of presses before you send out your book proposal.

Promoting Your Academic Book

After an academic author submits the final manuscript, there’s still promotion to think about. This post breaks down what I did to promote The Book Proposal Book and offers tips on how you can collaborate with your press's publicity team to make sure your book reaches its intended readers.

What Happens At Your Publisher After Your Final Manuscript Is Approved

What happens to your academic book manuscript after it’s finally approved by the publisher? This post takes you behind the scenes of book production, from submission of the final draft to reviewing the final proofs.

How to Tailor Your Academic Book Proposal for Different Publishers: What to Change for Each Press to Press and What You Can Leave Alone

Can you submit the same academic book proposal to different publishers? This post discusses what to change from press to press and what you can keep the same in each version of your academic book proposal.

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.

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