I’ve been knitting for 20 yrs but my output has gone way up in the last 2. Partly bc of being home more, not having babies who need constant hands-on attn anymore & I’ve noticed more and more that I consciously turn to it to soothe anxiety. Anyway here’s what I made in 2021:
2. This leopard print hat (pattern is called Cat Love). I’m pretty sure this one went to @bilgeyesil1
3. One of the best memes of the year inspired these Bernie Mittens. I raffled them off and @gwendolynb won, gifting them to @mariaelainemur
4. This Winter Lights Shawl that kept me company backstage at my first @Jeopardy taping. I’m pretty sure I raffled this but I now can’t remember the specifics or who won it (let me know if it’s you!)
5. This Mohairino Medley shawl that I worked on at my second Jeopardy taping. One of the few knits I’ve kept for myself
6. This Hiberknitting Hat. I also kept this one for me
7. This @PrincetonUPress color-coordinating neck-warmer that I sent to my super supportive editor when my book came out (pattern is called Scraptown Cowl)
8. I used the same yarn to make this Chevrollelogram scarf
9. This Rio Dress, made for @kwelkernbc’s new little one 👶🏻💕
10. This cowl (pattern is called Cowl at the Moon) requested by my grandfather-in-law. I got my kid to model it and I have no idea why she made this face 😆
11. This Palm Springs Cowl that I raffled off to raise funds for @NAPAWF. The winner was @JocStitt (I think?? My memory is so bad about these)
12. These mittens my kid insisted I make for her entirely out of season
13. This Zipper Scarf that resulted in personal injury because the stacked stitches were so finicky. I’m not ready to part with it yet but @LumpenData likes it so much I may leave it to him in my will 🤣
14. This Honey Seed Hat. I will probably give this one away in 2022.
15. This Flicker & Flame hat that accidentally ended up with a pleasing 70s ski vibe. I’ll probably give this one away eventually too.
16. This more muted version of the Flicker & Flame hat that I made for my MIL
17. This Plumpy shawl that languished on my shawl rack until @ltisdel requested to buy it for her mom for Christmas. Win-win.
18. This Painting Honeycombs hat that i made to match the cover of The Book Proposal Book 🤓
19. This Zig to the Zag scarf (the first try at a book cover match but the yarn turned out to be the wrong color blue after the book arrived). It ended up with @tcarmody’s mom
20. This Shawl Party shawl that I raffled off (@ltisdel won it)
21. This Vertices Unite Baby Blanket for a dear friend’s little one (not tagging bc I’m not sure if she’s announced on Twitter yet)
22. A Sunshine hat for the same little one (ultimately commandeered by the older sibling, fair’s fair)
23. This Parallelolamb shawl. It’s too scratchy for me (as usual) but coordinates with so many of my clothes that I’ve kept it for myself for now
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.
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
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
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
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.