Academic Book Writing Simplified: Write and Publish Your Academic Book
Are you a woman or non-binary scholar in academia who feels like writing your academic book is a complete mystery? Wondering how other scholars find the time to write while juggling teaching, research, and service - when you have been looking at the same page for weeks?
Welcome to Academic Book Writing Simplified - the academic writing podcast for women and non-binary scholars who want to get practical academic writing tips and real academic writing support, so they can finally write and publish their academic book with clarity and confidence.
If you’re ready to stop second-guessing and finally write the book that establishes your expertise, you’re in the right place.
I’m your host, Jane Joann Jones, PhD, former sociologist who quit her tenure- track job to become a developmental editor and book writing coach for women of color in academia. As the founder of Book Brilliance, a group coaching program, I work with women and non-binary scholars who want to use reliable systems to develop a clear book idea, structure their academic book manuscript, and make consistent, meaningful progress on their books.
I’ve helped over 100 academics publish their book with leading presses including University of Chicago, Duke, Stanford, Rutgers, Oxford, Princeton and Stanford. I want to help you do the same.
This podcast will give you clear, practical answers to your biggest book-writing questions including:
- How do I start writing my academic book?
- How long does it *really* take to write an academic book?
- Can I just revise my dissertation and turn it into a book, or do I need to start from scratch?
- How can I write my book if I don’t feel like an expert?
- How can I use developmental editing to help me write my academic book?
- What are ways I can improve my academic writing?
Each short, no-nonsense episode busts common myths about academic book writing, exposes the hidden curriculum of scholarly publishing, and gives you actionable strategies so you can make steady progress — without waiting for the perfect time to start.
Ready to demystify the book writing process?
Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and share with a fellow academic who’s ready to navigate the path to publication with more ease and less overwhelm.
Learn more about how we can help you become an academic author: https://rightprose.co
Academic Book Writing Simplified: Write and Publish Your Academic Book
#28: How Long Should an Academic Book’s Introduction Be?
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Your academic book’s introduction is your first opportunity to make an impression on your reader. It’s natural that you’d be worried about writing it well. One aspect of the introduction that authors tend to fixate on is length. How long should your introduction be?
In today’s episode, which is the first of a series on book introductions, Jane will discuss length. If you’re worried that your introduction will be too long or too short, after this episode you’ll know how to make the length just right.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
- Why asking how long your introduction should be isn’t the right question, and what you should be asking instead.
- The value of looking at other books as examples, and how to approach that process strategically.
- How to understand the length of your introduction in the context of the length of your entire book, rather than treating the introduction as its own project.
Make sure to have a notebook handy, because you’re going to get a cheatsheet for thinking about how to approach your introduction.
Books discussed:
Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers, They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South
Kellie Carter Jackson, We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance
Alexandra Freidus. Unequal Lessons: School Diversity and Educational Inequality in New York City
Yuki Kato. Gardens of Hope: Cultivation Food and the Future in a Post-Disaster City
📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/
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