Handbook For Academic Authors

This fifth edition has been revised to reflect the impact of digital technology on authorship and publishing.

Encouraging, no-nonsense advice for academic authors who want their research to reach the widest possible audience.

Writing is one of the most demanding tasks that academics and researchers face. In some disciplines we learn some of what we need to know to be productive, successful writers; but in other disciplines there is no training, support or mentoring of any kind.

In this fourth edition, Beth Luey offers up to date advice to academic authors.

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 offers an inside look at how to publish scholarly articles, book reviews, grants, magazine articles, and commercial and scholarly books.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. With its unique focus on source-based writing and writing across the curriculum, the third edition of The Academic Writer’s Handbook contains all the features of a traditional handbook combined with the tools students need in order to read, write, and conduct research in the disciplines.