academic authors

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.

Book Acknowledgments: 10 Tips for Authors

What are you supposed to put in your book acknowledgments? Are there certain people you’re required to thank? Is there anything you shouldn’t say? This post has ten things you should know about writing acknowledgments for your scholarly book.

10 Steps to an Effective Book Proposal

Writing a scholarly book proposal can be intimidating. Here is a breakdown (plus a free downloadable checklist) of the 10 steps involved in putting together an effective book proposal to submit to university presses and other scholarly publishers.

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 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.

Setting Goals and Targeting the Right Publishers for Your Scholarly Book

Success as a scholarly author means different things to everyone. Understanding your goals for your scholarly book is key to achieving your definition of success and to evaluating publishers in terms of their ability to help you reach your goals.

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.

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.

Demystifying Author Platform (Don't worry, you probably already have one)

Academic authors can benefit from a robust author platform when pitching their books to publishers and later to readers. But what does author platform mean? Is it all about social media followers? Here are some ways to improve your reach as an academic author and gain confidence about what you’ve already done to promote your work.

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