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