Through my years as a developmental editor, I've learned that most academic book projects run into the same issues, usually resulting from a lack of support and guidance when transitioning out of graduate school. This four-week workshop aims to demystify what makes a book work while helping authors identify the fundamental building blocks of their own project. We will learn how to approach a stuck draft with new eyes and use existing publications as models and guides. While useful to writers of any discipline, the workshop will address the particular challenges of interdisciplinary projects.
Content will respond to the needs and interests of participants, with weekly sessions organized across the following topics:
Week 1: Rebooting and Reverse Engineering an Academic Book
How to use the publishing process to structure and shape our research into a successful book (while shedding its past as a dissertation).
Week 2: Building Blocks of an Academic Book I
Understanding the relationships between the research object, the argument, and the through-line, and excavating our own.
Week 3: Building Blocks of an Academic Book II
Getting clear on the role of theory, methods, and existing research in supporting (and not overshadowing) our own arguments and contributions.
Week 4: Getting to Work
Making (and keeping) a revision plan; strategies for overcoming blocks; and best practices for academic writing.
Each session will include worksheets or other supplemental materials to help implement what you learned, so that by end of the workshop you feel ready and excited to move into your next stage of revisions. I will also facilitate a discussion forum for participants to share work, ask questions, and provide peer support.
The workshop fee is $750. Payment is due before the start of the workshop.
A little about me: I have a PhD in Sociology from the CUNY Graduate Center and have worked as a developmental editor for over six years. Previously, I was an Associate Professor of Cultural Studies at George Mason University. I am the author of an academic monograph (from University of Minnesota Press) and last year I published my first novel.
Authors I have worked with have books out or forthcoming from University of Minnesota Press, University of Illinois Press, University of Pennsylvania Press, Duke University Press, University of North Carolina Press, Verso, and others. You can learn more about my approach to academic editing at:
