Recommended Readings for Getting Published: Selections from the Editor's Bookshelf, Part 1

Several years ago, I started a social media series called the Editor’s Bookshelf, where I published capsule reviews of books on academic writing and publishing. I’ve decided to collect those reviews into a series of blog posts, organizing the books by broad categories. For example, I’ve selected several titles that you may want to read if you are looking for ways to develop a writing practice; others offer suggestions for improving your skill as a writer. Here, I provide overviews of three books that offer advice on getting published.

Laura Portwood-Stacer’s The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors (Princeton UP, 2021) is an excellent resource for those who want to write and publish a book for an academic audience. She breaks down the various components of the scholarly book proposal—a genre unto itself—but also explains how presses use the information they contain and how it relates to the larger publication process. While the focus is on creating a successful proposal, I could see myself returning to this book during the drafting process to ensure I adhere to the sage advice she offers about crafting a manuscript and working with an academic press. Portwood-Stacer also includes checklists for monitoring your progress and assessing the completeness of your proposal, along with sample proposal documents and reader reports. The book’s structure would allow writers to read a chapter at a time, building a proposal incrementally, or read the whole thing in a sitting or two, referencing specific tips as needed.

Wendy Belcher’s Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks: A Guide to Academic Publishing Success (2nd edition, 2019, University of Chicago Press) is a valuable reference and workbook for publishing journal manuscripts. She begins with the premise that readers have a draft manuscript they need to revise for submission and that they will devote 8–10 hours each week to related writing tasks. That said, I’m confident this could be a helpful guide for someone building a journal manuscript from the ground up, though specific steps (e.g., Week 5: Refining Your Works Cited, aka the lit review) might take longer than a week. The beauty of a text like this is that you can use it at your own pace, allocating your time based on your own needs. In each chapter, Belcher offers insightful advice on what should be included, why, what to avoid, and how to manage challenges. She also includes ample opportunities for self-assessment and practice throughout. Think of this more as a roadmap than a timeline for writing and revising journal manuscripts.

Currently, I am reading Beth Luey’s Handbook for Academic Authors: How to Navigate the Publishing Process (6th edition, 2022, Cambridge University Press). Luey’s work combines some elements covered by both Belcher and Portwood-Stacer. However, she seeks to introduce academic authors to the entire breadth of publishing opportunities—from journal manuscripts to forays into digital publishing. Less like a workbook than Portwood-Stacer’s or Belcher’s, Luey’s book explores the goals, publishing processes, and potentials for remuneration for scholarly monographs, edited collections, textbooks, trade books, and more. She devotes an entire chapter to the financial aspects of publishing and concludes with a chapter on digital publishing. This is probably less valuable than Belcher’s work if you are looking for specific guidance on developing a journal manuscript. Similarly, I would recommend reading Luey for insider knowledge about the different aspects of the publishing industry but turning to Portwood-Stacer for more detailed insight into developing proposal materials.

I suspect these are books I will return to when I have specific questions about the best ways to shape and pitch an academic manuscript. What recommended readings for getting published would you add to this list?