Academic Book Writing Simplified with Jane Joann Jones
Does writing your academic book feel like 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 podcast for women and non-binary scholars who want to cut through the confusion of academic publishing so they can finally write their 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 academic on tenure track turned developmental editor and book writing coach for women of color in academia. 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?
Each 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 with Jane Joann Jones
Episode #28: How Long Should an Academic Book’s Introduction Be?
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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