I know people (rightly) have other things on their mind at the moment, but if you’d like to hold space for writing your scholarly book proposal this summer, my Book Proposal Accelerator will run from June 4 to July 22. Enrollment opens May 1 at courses.manuscriptworks.com
My newsletter this week answers some questions about it, but I’ll thread them here too newsletter.manuscriptworks.com/p/answers-to-y…
Will the Accelerator be offered again after this June–July session? Question: Will the Accelera...
Will scholarships be available again this time around? Question: Will scholarships...
Do I need to have anything prepared before the Accelerator starts? Question: Do I need to have...
Do I need to have anything prepared in order to participate in the Zoom sessions? Question: Do I need to have...
I live in a time zone or have care/work obligations that make attending the Zoom sessions inconvenient. How will these be made accessible to me? Question: I live in a time ...
Is there a deadline to sign up by?

No, but once it’s full, it’s full. There’s no waitlist. Enrollment opens May 1st Answer: I will accept enrol...
How long does it take to complete the curriculum for the Book Proposal Accelerator? Question: How long does it ...
Last question is whether I also offer one-on-one proposal services. Answer is that I do, but my doors are closed until I can catch up with everyone on my waitlist. So if you’d like to work with me this year, the Accelerator is the way to go (until I’m able to clone myself) Question: Do you also offer...

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More from @lportwoodstacer

Jun 3, 2023
What is a literary agent and why would a scholarly author want/need to get one?

Lots of misconceptions about this out there so here’s some info:
A literary agent is someone who represents an author to a publishing house. They do the work of submitting a book proposal, communicating with the editor, and negotiating any offers/contracts. They sometimes (not always) help edit/develop the proposal before submission
University presses and other presses that are explicitly scholarly in nature (and many smaller indie presses) do not require authors to have an agent.

Most academics don’t need an agent in order to get access to the editors & presses they want to publish with.
Read 13 tweets
Jan 2, 2023
It’s 2023 and I know a lot of ppl who are trying to finish books & get contracts this year.

Can I share the 10 most common issues I’ve seen in scholarly book manuscripts as a developmental editor?

Feel free to use them as a checklist as you’re editing yr own book this year ✍️
First, a caveat: this isn’t based on a scientific survey of book manuscripts—these are based on what I’ve seen in the books I’ve happened to edit (I work w/ PhDs writing monographs in the humanities & social sciences).

Counting down from roughly the 10th most common to the 1st:
10. Chapters lack clear internal structure.

Fix this with section headings (3–5 is a good number) that signal how each part of the chapter contributes toward the chapter’s overall purpose/argument—and make sure each part of the chapter actually does contribute
Read 18 tweets
Nov 16, 2022
Hi! I’m offering something new in January! A graphic for my Book Propo...
The Book Proposal Sprint will be 5 days of online coworking and live Q&A sessions with me to get momentum on your scholarly book proposal draft.

Everyone who has ever registered for my Book Proposal Shortcut program is eligible to participate.
You can sign up for the program here: courses.manuscriptworks.com/p/shortcut.

It’s a full curriculum to walk you step by step thru crafting an outstanding proposal and pitching it to publishers + a library of sample documents for your reference
Read 5 tweets
Nov 16, 2022
I am begging people who want to make sweeping pronouncements about academic publishing & book pricing to learn that there are major differences between huge commercial publishers, huge university presses (of which there are 2), and smaller UPs
I can’t put much stock in an “analysis” of the academic publishing industry that hasn’t even bothered to understand the differences across that industry
Most authors don’t understand the differences, which is unfortunate bc I do think the diffs can inform a decision abt the best homes for their books. But it’s facile to say that UPs don’t care abt reaching readers bc huge commercial presses have doubled down on library editions
Read 5 tweets
Nov 14, 2022
Starting the week by donating $100 in solidarity with the UC Academic Workers strike fund ✊

I also pledge to contribute 20% of all enrollment fees in my programs for the next week.

Give here if you’re able: givebutter.com/uc-uaw
My programs are listed here: courses.manuscriptworks.com

I’m going to reopen my Write an Outstanding Book Proposal workshop recording for a limited time.

20% of the fee for that and my Book Proposal Shortcut program will go straight to the strike fund (thru Tuesday 11/22)
If you are currently a striking academic worker or a faculty member respecting the picket line, I’m happy to enroll you in my Write an Outstanding Book Proposal workshop free of charge.

You can email me here manuscriptworks.com/contact
Read 4 tweets
Oct 16, 2022
If you finished a dissertation this year, congratulations! 🎉

I hope you’ve been able to celebrate and rest. 😴

If you hope to publish a book from the diss, you might be tempted to begin revising right away, but here are 6 things I think you should do instead:
1. Start a new project 🧐

Exploring a new topic can bring fresh clarity on the ?s that really interested you in yr diss research.

Those can become stronger through-lines in your book manuscript and will be key to communicate when it's time to propose your book to a publisher
2. Read recent books 📖

You had to stop reading at some point in order to get yr diss written. Now you can catch up on what's been published in yr field in the meantime.

Understanding the recent books you're in conversation w/ will help you situate yrself & write yr bk proposal
Read 10 tweets

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