Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: May 6, 2022

Academic writing is a process with many parts. Whether writing a journal article, a dissertation, or a book, it is an investment of time, a research process, and involves various challenges and opportunities from idea to publication. To be successful, we must find the right content, audience, and resources to bring the project to completion.

One way to move a project along is to maintain a focused approach. Perhaps try the one Elmore Leonard uses who said, “I try to leave out the parts that people skip.” You also may find value in the articles we’ve collected on meeting deadlines, improving your writing, facing rejection, defending yourself against predatory publishers, and more.

Wherever you are in your current writing project, face the challenges, embrace the opportunities, and leave out the parts that people skip. Happy writing!

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Amazon: friend or foe?

When I ask writers, authors, or publishers about Amazon, I get a variety of responses:

  • I love Amazon. I just ordered laundry detergent from them, and it was really cheap.
  • I try not to order from them but shop locally.
  • Amazon always knows what I will be interested in when I am browsing for something to read.
  • They make ordering so easy, and delivery is so quick!
  • They get me mad because they have the wrong cover for my book, and they won’t change it.
  • When I search for my book, they list the old edition first and I can’t get them to flip it to the new edition. Ugh!
  • They’ve made self-publishing so easy. It is a dream.

Quite the spectrum. When people think of Amazon, they think of books first, which puts them in a Kleenex or Xerox situation from a branding point-of-view. But as you might know, Amazon is way past books and publishing.

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Most useful textbook and academic posts of the week: April 8, 2022

Where are you starting with your writing? Anne Lamott says, “Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.” Whether you are starting as a graduate student, a post-doc defining your research agenda, a new writing project, or a more extensive writing career, your new “first” effort will be a start (perhaps terrible) but not the end.

In this collection of articles from around the web, we find advice on academic authoring in the first person, writer’s block, research agendas, and protecting your ideas. We also find content on achieving goals as young writers, making writing a career, and considering University Presses for your next publication.

Whatever you are writing, start where you are and move forward. Happy writing!

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3 Ways publishers evaluate book proposals and query letters

So, you’ve decided to write a book but are not sure how to acquire the interest of a publisher so that your hard work can be enjoyed by readers in your discipline. You’ve heard that book proposals and query letters are the professional tactics for introducing a new book to a potential publisher, but what exactly are they looking for?

In his recent webinar, publishing consultant John Bond shared his insight on what publishers are looking for as they evaluate your proposal or query letter.

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