The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors

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Description

A step-by-step guide to crafting a compelling scholarly book proposaland seeing your book through to successful publication

The scholarly book proposal may be academias most mysterious genre. You have to write one to get published, but most scholars receive no training on how to do soand you may have never even seen a proposal before youre expected to produce your own.The Book Proposal Bookcuts through the mystery and guides prospective authors step by step through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers.

Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors, shows how to select the right presses to target, identify audiences and competing titles, and write a project description that will grab the attention of editorsbreaking the entire process into discrete, manageable tasks. The book features over fifty time-tested tips to make your proposal stand out; sample prospectuses, a letter of inquiry, and a response to reader reports from real authors; optional worksheets and checklists; answers to dozens of the most common questions about the scholarly publishing process; and much, much more.

Whether youre hoping to publish your first book or youre a seasoned author with an unfinished proposal languishing on your hard drive,The Book Proposal Bookprovides honest, empathetic, and invaluable advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published. It also shows why, far from being merely a hurdle to clear, a well-conceived proposal can help lead to an outstanding book.

Reviews

"Superb: practical, accessible, deeply savvy. . . . I truly believe that if you want to understand how books can be made in the 2020s, you should read Anne [Trubek] Laura [Portwood-Stacer] and basically no one else!"---Robin Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore
"There is so much in this little book to recommend to the bewildered or intimidated potential author that it is hard to imagine navigating the territory of scholarly publishing without it. . . . In crafting this guide for authors, Portwood-Stacer has done a tremendous service for both the academy and for the community of scholarly publishers."---Gregory M. Britton, Publishing Research Quarterly
"Im working my way through [The Book Proposal Book] and while I would like to rush right through it, Im trying to read slowly because its truly so instructivenot only for authors, but also for editors how to communicate better with their authors."---Alison Syring, University of Illinois Press
"By bringing clarity to topics that are seldom explicitly taught, The Book Proposal Book offers a vital resource, especially for scholars who lack the resources to work with a freelance editor or attend a publishing workshop. . . . The Book Proposal Book can help authors to feel less alone through the daunting process of proposal writing. . . . I recommend this book not only for authors who are currently working on book proposals, but for all readers who share Portwood-Stacers commitment to helping scholarly writers feel hopeful, powerful, and supported."---Sara Saylor, Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy

Author Bio

Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD, is a developmental editor and founder of Manuscript Works, a consultancy serving academic authors around the world. She is the author of Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism and previously taught media and cultural studies at New York University and the University of Southern California. She lives in Los Angeles. Twitter @lportwoodstacer