Career Corner at Congress 2009
Publishing Your Scholarly Book
Publishing a book-length work remains the yardstick for tenure and promotion, and, increasingly, even for appointment within the academy. Learn how you can turn your research into a book published by a scholarly press in Canada.
Presenters: Jonathan Crago and Susan McIntosh, McGill-Queen's University Press and Emily Andrew and Elizabeth Whitten, UBC Press
Moderator: Kel Morin-Parsons, manager of the CFHSS Aid to Scholarly Publications Program
Approaching a publisher (6:16)
0:00 - 0:48 Introduction
0:48 - 2:12 Understand prospective publishers and find a good fit
2:12 - 3:57 Tips to construct a solid proposal
3:57 - 4:45 A proposal should prove your knowledge of the material
4:45 - 6:06 Ensure the correct editor is contacted
Approaching a publisher - Part Two (5:05)
0:00 - 1:34 Practical items to include in a proposal
1:34 - 3:08 Identify in the proposal what kinds of revisions can be made
3:08 - 4:57 Importance of being clear about submissions to other presses
Navigating peer review (8:26)
0:00 - 1:58 Overview, function and importance of peer review
1:58 - 3:00 Who is eligible to act as a peer reviewer?
3:00 - 3:46 How long will the peer review process last?
3:46 - 4:10 Do reviewers receive remuneration?
4:10 - 4:42 How many reviews are necessary?
4:42 - 6:08 How can authors respond to and engage reviewer comments?
6:08 - 8:15 How many rounds of peer review will occur?
Turning a thesis into a book (6:30)
0:00 - 1:15 Will editors read unrevised theses?
1:15 - 2:02 Why authors need to prove that they made revisions
2:02 - 2:46 Clues that theses are not properly revised
- Table of Contents (2:55)
- Introduction (3:30)
- Conclusion (4:06)
- Notes (4:38)
5:41 - 6:21 Why should the thesis be published as a book?
Helpful guides for scholarly authors (1:50)
Guides mentioned:
The Thesis and the Book: A Guide for First-Time Academic Authors (2nd edition)
edited by Eleanor Harman, Ian Montagnes, Siobhan McMenemy, and Chris Bucci
A Handbook for Academic Authors (4th edition)
by Beth Luey
From Dissertation to Book
by William Germano
Funding your scholarly publication (9:15)
0:00 - 0:43 The primary source of funding for scholarly books: The Aid to Scholarly Publication Program
0:43 - 2:14 Eligibility criteria for the ASPP
2:14 - 2:53 Who owns the grant money?
2:53 - 4:00 How far do grants go to covering costs?
4:29 - 7:12 Funding opportunies external to the ASPP
7:12 - 7:40 Who is responsible for indexing?
7:40 - 8:17 Do maps cost money to produce?
8:17 - 9:06 Manuscript preparation funding vs. publication subvention