A step-by-step guide to crafting a compelling scholarly book proposal—and seeing your book through to successful publication The scholarly book proposal may be academia’s most mysterious genre. You have to write one 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 prospective authors step by step through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers. Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors, shows how to select the right presses to target, identify audiences and competing titles, and write a project description that will grab the attention of editors—breaking the entire process into discrete, manageable tasks. The book features over fifty time-tested tips to make your proposal stand out; sample prospectuses, a letter of inquiry, and a response to reader reports from real authors; optional worksheets and checklists; answers to dozens of the most common questions about the scholarly publishing process; and much, much more. 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, far from being merely a hurdle to clear, a well-conceived proposal can help lead to an outstanding book.

This book provides you with all the tools you need to write an excellent academic article and get it published.

How to transform a thesis into a publishable work that can engage audiences beyond the academic committee. When a dissertation crosses my desk, I usually want to grab it by its metaphorical lapels and give it a good shake. “You know something!” I would say if it could hear me. “Now tell it to us in language we can understand!” Since its publication in 2005, From Dissertation to Book has helped thousands of young academic authors get their books beyond the thesis committee and into the hands of interested publishers and general readers. Now revised and updated to reflect the evolution of scholarly publishing, this edition includes a new chapter arguing that the future of academic writing is in the hands of young scholars who must create work that meets the broader expectations of readers rather than the narrow requirements of academic committees. At the heart of From Dissertation to Book is the idea that revising the dissertation is fundamentally a process of shifting its focus from the concerns of a narrow audience—a committee or advisors—to those of a broader scholarly audience that wants writing to be both informative and engaging. William Germano offers clear guidance on how to do this, with advice on such topics as rethinking the table of contents, taming runaway footnotes, shaping chapter length, and confronting the limitations of jargon, alongside helpful timetables for light or heavy revision. Germano draws on his years of experience in both academia and publishing to show writers how to turn a dissertation into a book that an audience will actually enjoy, whether reading on a page or a screen. He also acknowledges that not all dissertations can or even should become books and explores other, often overlooked, options, such as turning them into journal articles or chapters in an edited work. With clear directions, engaging examples, and an eye for the idiosyncrasies of academic writing, he reveals to recent PhDs the secrets of careful and thoughtful revision—a skill that will be truly invaluable as they add “author” to their curriculum vitae.

World University rankings were announced by Thomas Reuters and The Times. As an Indian, besides being one teaching for nearly five decades, I was eager to know the results of the announcement. I showed enough concern. Where have our good Indian universities/higher educational institutions been placed? I set my eyes on top ranks, and it didn’t give me anything to be proud of. My eyes crossed over more than two hundred and fifty names of universities of the world, including those of some not so “developed countries.” But I came across no name of Indian institutions/universities. This upsets me. What made the Indian educational scenario virtually get eclipsed by the scenarios of the rest of the world? I drew a comparison between the higher education in India with that of many other countries. The World Education scene in general occupied a higher level of degree in research and publication than that of the Indian Education scene. Research flourishes when research is brought to light through publication. I always advocate sound growth in Indian Education. This can be achieved if we improve journal publication. This awareness has resulted in this book. Therefore, Journal Publishing is a Cultural Imperative. This -book is designed to help readers understand what a journal is, the people who are responsible for the creation and production of this journal, how a journal is published, where a journal flourishes, and why it is mandatory in education development. I have taken materials from all over the world and all these sources have been acknowledged in the references, but for them, this book would not have been a reality.

Drawing on the insights and experiences of authors, editors, and publishing professionals across the humanities, arts and social sciences, this How to guide offers practical advice on how to successfully navigate scholarly journal editorial work.

Along with the infamous “Reviewer 2,” journal editors are a leading cause of angst among scholars. When editors are bad at their jobs, careers are damaged, reputations of journals suffer, and the overall scholarship within a field is weakened. Yet, despite their importance to the practice of academia, most editors do not receive any formal training on the editing process. Even well-published authors face a steep learning curve when navigating all of the moving parts of a scholarly journal and providing quality feedback to authors. This book is intended to be a guide for scholarly journal editors. It walks current and prospective editors through the various steps of the editing process, including establishing an editorial vision, creating editorial teams/boards, interpreting reviewers’ comments and writing decision letters, and publicizing published articles and improving journal metrics. A secondary goal of the book is to provide authors with a peek inside the process of journal editing. By better understanding the decisions that editors make, authors can make more informed choices about which journals they should submit their work, as well as improve their chances for publication.

This book draws on the perspectives of authors, supervisors, reviewers and editors to present a rich, nuanced picture of the practices and challenges involved in writing for scholarly publication. Organized into four sections, it brings together international experts and junior scholars from a variety of disciplines to examine both publishing experiences and current research in the field. In doing so, it challenges the view that Native English speakers have a relatively easy ride in this process and that it is only English as an Additional Language (EAL) scholars who experience difficulties. The volume highlights central themes of writing for publication, including mentoring and collaborative writing, the writing experience, text mediation, the review process, journal practices and editorial decision-making, and makes a strong case for taking a more inclusive approach to research in this domain. This edited collection will appeal to students and scholars of applied linguistics, English for academic purposes, academic writing, and second language writing.