Getting started on an academic book: five questions to ask
Author: Lucy Frisch
Academic Book Week (#AcBookWeek) is a week-long celebration of the diversity, variety and influence of academic books throughout history run by the Booksellers Association, returning for a fourth year from 4-9 March 2019. This week on The Source, we are recognizing the important role of academic books, including how they engage critical audiences such as the media and policy-makers, as well as reflecting on their evolution and what the future might hold for this research format.
This article was originally posted on the .
Turning your academic book idea into a solid concept can be done,
says Jessica Eise
Publishing an academic book is an accomplishment to which many aspire. A book is, essentially, your work, thoughts and research agglomerated in one neat, tidy package of bound paper. Its rewarding both personally and professionally. Not only are you sharing your ideas and contributions to the broader world, but you can actually hold in your hands the fruit of your labor.
Yet the process from vague idea to publishing contract is truly a process. In 2016, my first was published. It took about two years to go from idea to print. During that process, and the recent signing of a second contract for another book, I learned a great deal about publishing that I didnt know before and garnered a deep appreciation for the development a book undergoes before you even start thinking about contracts.
The hardest part for me was going from idea to a solid concept that can be crafted into a killer proposal. Here are five critical questions that helped get me there:
What does your book add to the existing literature?
This needs to be crystal clear, and it wont be until you can summarize it succinctly in just a couple of sentences. Dont panic if its not readily obvious. Take some time to explore the literature, search for holes, identify trends and be willing to adapt your idea. Remember, dont write what you want to write, write what needs to be written.
I was able to identify the space my book would fill in the literature when I was looking for resources for my graduate class. I knew what I wanted them to read a book that provided a timely, overarching picture of agricultural communication today but that just didnt exist. I needed it, so I wrote it.
Why are you the right person to write this book?
That doesnt mean just sticking to your subject area there are further things to consider. First, can you conduct the type of research you need to complete a book on this subject? For example, if you need a lot of firsthand interviews, are you disciplined enough to hunt them down and are you sure theyll speak to you?
Additionally, if youre already juggling a busy schedule, you may not even have the time to get what you need. How willing are you to actually write? A book is all about writing. If youre not into that, then you may not be the right person. Its not all over just yet, though! You could seek out a coauthor who does like writing, and strike up a prearranged agreement (emphasis on pre) on splitting up the workload.
My book was heavily dependent on interviews and citations of existing research. This was right up my alley. With a background in journalism, first person interviews werent a problem, and neither was digging into existing research and citing heavily.
Who are you writing for?
We want to write for everyone, because shouldnt everyone get to learn how cool our field is? Unfortunately, this doesnt work for an academic book. You need to identify exactly who you want to write for. Graduate students? Undergraduate students? Your immediate colleagues? Stakeholders in your field? Practitioners in your field? Policymakers? There needs to be one crisp, clear audience. Be specific.
This is where I struggled the most with my book. I wanted it to be for everyone, and it ended up being for no one until I narrowed it down. Although there may be value for a broader audience, it should be written with one particular group in mind. Stay focused.
Where will your book be used?
If you dont know who the book is for, you dont know how it will be used. This matters. Books can be used in many different ways. They can be primary textbooks in an undergraduate course. They can be supplemental reads in a graduate course. They can be training material for a group of practitioners. And where its going will affect how its written so you need to decide this early.
Right now, my book is used in both graduate and undergraduate classrooms, as well as by industry professionals. Im happy with who is reading it, but I suspect the adoption rate would have been cleaner and more direct if the purpose had been better defined from the get-go.
How are you going to get your book out there?
Do you have any way of ensuring that people see and read your book? Chances are your academic publisher isnt going to do very much marketing for you. Be prepared to facilitate and build awareness of your work. The good news is that if your book truly offers a unique and valuable addition to the existing literature, itll do most of the work for you. But it does still take work and time.
When my book came out, I contacted everyone I knew, and got in touch with appropriate media sources. My department submitted it for an award. A journal has agreed to review it. These are perfectly natural ways of getting the word out about a new resource. But they wont happen if you dont make them happen, and you need to think about that from Day One. This isnt something to tag on at the end.
Very, very rarely does the idea for a book appear in one brilliant moment. Nor is it likely that a publisher will come begging with contract in hand on the first, second or even third iteration of a proposal. But writing an academic book is a rewarding and challenging process. Theres no way to go through it without learning as much, if not more, than those who will be reading your work.
Read more academic books content from Nature Careers:
About Jessica Eise
Jessica Eise is an active , author and researcher. Her books include and other works. Jessica is currently the principal investigator on a multidisciplinary, international grant-funded project to create a climate change adaptation information network in Colombia. She has a masters in journalism and international relations from New York University and formerly worked in international media production, new media and communications.
Author: Lucy Frisch
Lucy Frisch is a Senior Marketing Manager leading the Content Marketing Programmes team, based in the New York office. She has a passion for storytelling and works to humanize the research published across 50業子 with a focus on the researcher experience.
