Working with Publishers

Trade Publishing for Scholarly Authors

Many scholarly writers want to publish trade books or crossover books that will reach readers outside of academia. This post answers the most common questions academic authors have, debunks some myths and misconceptions about trade and scholarly publishers, and tells you what you need to do if you want to pitch a trade book to a publisher.

Royalties and Advances in Scholarly Publishing

Royalties and advances against royalties are payments that publishers make to authors. This post explains how royalty and advance payments are calculated and disbursed. It also offers some key points for scholarly writers to consider when negotiating book contracts.

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.

Podcast Episodes About Academic Book Publishing

If you like listening to podcasts, check out these episodes where I talk about academic developmental editing, book proposals, and general information about publishing for first-time scholarly authors.

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.

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.

Recycling Publications for Your Book

Authors often want to know how much of their book manuscript can overlap with articles and chapters they have previously published in journals or edited volumes. This post offers guidelines for recycling published material and things to keep in mind concerning your goals for publication.

Navigating Academic Publishing as an Author of Color

Racism and inequity are real problems in scholarly book publishing. This post discusses some of the common issues that racially minoritized scholars face when navigating the publishing process and offers some tips on how to find an editor and publisher who will treat you and your scholarship with respect.

When A Press Approaches You About Publishing Your book and Wants to Move Quickly

How quickly should you move when a press expresses interest in your dissertation project? Here are some things to consider before signing the contract right away.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Subscribe to the Manuscript Works newsletter, a collection of writing and book publishing advice for academic authors, plus announcements about new stuff Manuscript Works has going on.