Thread by @AlexJMarland

Interested in publishing an academic book? Here’s some tips from acquisition editors Dan Quinlan of @utpress, Emily Andrew of @McGillQueensUP and Randy Schmidt of @UBCPress as we prepare for a publishing panel at #CPSA2023 that I’ll be moderating. A thread… 🧵

1. Research the publisher. Familiarize yourself with their books. Address your first correspondence to the acquisitions editor by name. No “Dear Editor”! (Dan Quinlan @utpress) #publishing

2. Schedule meetings with editors at conferences. Send a 1-2 page overview of your project in advance. Practice an elevator pitch. (@eandreweditor) #conferences

3. Give acquisition editors what they are asking for. A proposal twice as long as what is requested, or one missing key information, or one that arrives in multiple emails, is unlikely to endear you to your editor. Follow instructions. (@randyubcp) #Editors

4. Think of your book as a verb not just a noun. What does your book do, where does it move, what does it extend? Bottom line upfront: what is its argument? (@eandreweditor) #bookpublishing

5. Consider your author platform and the ways in which you can use your network to help mobilize audience engagement. (@eandreweditor) #Audiences

6. If pitching a dissertation-to-book project, come prepared with some ideas for substantive revision. Look at a guide like @WmGermano’s From Dissertation to Book to help get ideas going. Some PhD students and post-docs aren’t aware guides like this exist. (Dan Quinlan, @utpress)

7. Remember: your editor is your ally. Editors have considerable knowledge of the publishing industry, and your best interests at heart. Listen to their advice and recognize that you are the subject specialist, but they are the experts in publishing. (@randyubcp) #bookeditor

Stay tuned! More book publishing advice will be tweeted as we build up to “Book Publishing in Political Science: Tips and Tricks from Publishers” on June 1 at the Canadian Political Science Assn conference, York University, Toronto.
Next up: writing the book proposal. 📚