Publish or Perish’s guest speaker, Matt Becker, Senior Acquisitions Editor of University of Nevada Press, taught POP members about academic publishing on January 28th. Transforming dissertations into books is a skillful art that requires much preparation and organization. The following short series of bullet-points describe the main discussion topics from January’s meeting:
3 Tips: Turning Your Dissertation into a Book:
- 1. Know your audience
- 2. Design the dissertation to easily organize later (or simultaneously) into a book
- 3. Get to the point- share the main concepts faster in a book version.
Difference Between a Dissertation and a Book (to prepare for differences before you finish writing the dissertation):
- Dissertation: Extensive and defensive (must defend theory, significance, methods, results). Shares more about other research and researchers.
- Book: Shorter/limited literature review, theoretical details, narrative notes, and footnotes. Different audience. Can be written in more entertaining styles. Less quotes and citation.
3 Key Writing Tips:
1. Commit to a writing group that:
- Is a personal good-fit for you
- A group of people you enjoy
- A group of writers that you trust
2. Get involved to keep your publishing options open:
- Try as many research/writing activities, job responsibilities, club, and projects that you can appropriately manage.
- Meet like-minded researchers/writers
- Keep reading, editing, and writing on a regular basis
3. Find an example book that inspires you and/or helps to structure your goals.
Steps to Publish a Book:
-
Find the right publishing press for your industry
-
Check proposal guidelines on the publisher’s website
-
Explain the significance of your topic in your introduction
-
Share what similar research is out in circulation
-
Avoid illustrations or too many special graphs
-
Provide a sample chapter
Recommended Book to Read:
- From Dissertation to Book written by William Germano
Contact Matt Becker:
Publish or Perish 