Publishing 101 The Basics on Getting Your Scholarly Book Published By Brian Halley Boston-based Acquisitions Editor for the University of Massachusetts Press

Role on Campus Started as Acquisitions Editor at UMass Press in 2009, based at UMB with travel to Amherst Acquire in US cultural history, environmental history/studies, urban studies, gender & sexuality, regional interest, plus series Consult with faculty on book publishing

Basic Steps Toward Publishing Your First Book Ask your colleagues about how they published their books Come to the publishing workshop Read about how to publish your book Sort through all the info gathered during the first three steps Contact editors

Starting with a dissertation

Move from STUDENT to AUTHORITY Need to change perspective from student trying to impress committee to an author sharing knowledge, in a subject about which you are an expert.

Revise, Revise, Revise Need a plan to: Broaden Expand a chapter / section Clean out common dissertation elements not necessary for book manuscript, such as literature review

How to revise Do not expect editor to offer revision plan Take advice from trusted source(s) – advisor, senior colleague Be sure to have larger sense of book See William Germano’s From Dissertation to Book and chapter 3 of Beth Luey’s Revising Your Dissertation, by managing ed of UC Press

Do publisher research

Check publisher websites Some websites will list appropriate editors for different subject areas Check out new books and backlist, see covers, formats, pricing, etc… Most presses will say what they require for a proposal – Some even have forms to fill out

Go To Conferences Go to your field’s conference(s) and walk through exhibitor hall to check publishers – If there, press is invested in field on some level – Presses often send acquisition editors, especially to bigger conferences – Can get sense of lists by browsing books, taking catalogs – Seek out appropriate series at presses

Use Your Colleagues Talk to your colleagues about where they have published Get in touch with dissertation advisors, if they have good publishing backgrounds If anyone recommends press, see if they would be willing to recommend you to editor – This opens doors, gets editor’s attention

Creating a proposal

What You are Trying to Do Help editor / reader visualize the full book, from start to finish. Make your argument clear and how you’ll move from point A to point B. Attempts to hide elements about which you are not sure will come to light. If you’re unsure, editor or reader will notice and question.

Resource Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books by William Germano – Has some solid though slightly dated information about proposal, and about larger process Example of dated: do NOT call editors on phone

What to Include From UMass Press website: (1)a cover letter describing the content and focus of the book (2)a table of contents / chapter outline (3)the approximate length of the manuscript, measured in words, and number of illustrations (4)your sense of the potential audience for the work, including any courses for which the book might be adopted (5)your timetable for completing the manuscript if it is not already completed (6)information about your professional background and qualifications, including previous publications

Sample chapters Check website to see whether sample material is required with proposal Consider what you need to put best foot forward – I recommend authors submit Intro and at least one sample chapter, to get better feedback from outside reader(s)

What Happens to Proposal Can send proposals to multiple presses, but mention in cover letter If you hear from editor, ask how press proceeds – At UMass, I check proposals and then send for informal review, which faculty board never sees

Advance Contract Advance contracts typically still require thorough peer review process on the full manuscript before publication Check with your chair to see what is required for tenure or promotion Publisher may limit length of final manuscript or number of illustrations in contract

Submitting a full manuscript

Without a Contract It is still helpful to have a proposal even with a full manuscript – Can send proposal and mention full mss available Do not send full manuscript without invitation from editor. Do not send to more than one press unless allowed by all presses.

With Contract Will need to meet delivery date set in contract for full manuscript Incorporate any revisions you agreed to Have list of possible readers ready to provide to editor, as needed – No immediate colleagues, no advisors