Whether you’re hoping to publish your first book or you’re a seasoned author with an unfinished proposal languishing on your hard drive, The Book Proposal Book provides honest and invaluable advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published. It also shows why a well-conceived proposal can help lead to an outstanding book. The Book Proposal Book cuts through the mystery and guides you through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers. This episode explores: what a book proposal is and isn’t; why you have to write one; the importance of seeking the right “fit” for your manuscript; pitching quirky books; the difference between a book’s topic and argument; and how to summarize your project in just one sentence. Guest: Dr. Laura Portwood Stacer is a developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors. She is the author of The Book Proposal Book and Make Your Manuscript Work. Host: Dr. Christina Gessler is the creator of the Academic Life podcast and the show’s weekly newsletter. She is a writing coach and dissertation coach. Playlist for listeners: Where Does Research Begin Make Your Manuscript Work Project Management For Researchers Find Your Argument Dissertations Wanted: An Acquiring Editor Explains Turning A Dissertation Into A Book The Dissertation To Book Workbook The Top Ten Struggles in Writing A Book Manuscript and What To Do About It Dealing With Rejection Facing Failure Subatomic Writing Becoming The Writer You Already Are Open-Access Publishing Explained DIY Writing Retreats PhDing While Parenting The Peer Review Process Before And After The Book Deal Finishing Your Book When Life Is A Disaster Welcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Please join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 325+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! This episode was originally published on 8/12/2021
Welcome to The Academic Life. You are smart and capable, but you aren’t an island and neither are we. So we reached across our mentor network to bring you podcasts on everything from how to finish that project, to how to take care of your beautiful mind. Wish we’d bring on an expert about something? DM us your suggestion on Twitter: The Academic Life @AcademicLifeNBN.
In this episode you’ll hear about: what a book proposal is and isn’t, why you have to write one, the importance of seeking the right “fit” for your manuscript, how to pitch a quirky book, the difference between a book’s topic and its argument, how to summarize your project in just one sentence, and a discussion of The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors (Princeton UP, 2021)
Our guest is: Dr. Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors. She is the author of The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors.
You have to write a book proposal to get published, but most scholars receive no training on how to do so, and you may have never even seen a proposal before you’re expected to produce your own. The Book Proposal Book cuts through the mystery and guides you step by step through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers. Whether you’re hoping to publish your first book or you’re a seasoned author with an unfinished proposal languishing on your hard drive, The Book Proposal Book provides honest, empathetic, and invaluable advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published. It also shows why a well-conceived proposal can help lead to an outstanding book.
Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, the co-producer of the Academic Life podcasts, and a historian of women and gender.
Listeners to this episode might be interested in:
This episode was originally published on 8/12/2021