Ideas to Ink
After completing my Ph.D., I was certain of one thing. I wanted to share the dissertation I spent years researching, writing, and revising with a wide community of readers. When publishing my first book, however, I quickly realized how little I knew about the process.
How does one structure a book proposal, approach editors, and ensure their scholarship reaches the broadest audience? How, in other words, does a dissertation become a book?
With Ideas to Ink, I aspire to put my experiences as a writer, editor, and reviewer to work to empower other first-time authors across the humanities and social sciences. Drawing on my training as a peer reviewer for premier academic presses, a book review editor for a flagship journal, and a manuscript workshop facilitator for early career scholars, I desire to demystify all that goes into pitching, revising, and promoting innovative scholarship that promises to make an impact.
In the spirit of leveling the playing field by supporting a diverse community of scholars and by bringing meaningful stories to readers around the world, I welcome inquiries about turning dissertations into books, engaging presses, and marketing one’s scholarship.
Working with no more than a few authors at a time, I will provide detailed guidance designed to address your needs. Our one-on-one discussions will be impactful and informal, and I’m happy to meet on zoom, speak over the phone, or correspond by email.
I look forward to hearing from you about any of the services below and am excited to play a part in your book’s journey.
Pitching Your Book
Before a book exists, there is the book proposal.
Together, we will decipher this document. Walking through its various dimensions, from the opening description and annotated table of contents to interventions and intended readership, we will construct a compelling proposal from the ground up. Additionally, we will identify compatible presses, craft a polished elevator pitch, and communicate effectively with editors.
Outcome: You will be able to approach editors with confidence and a well-designed book proposal that makes an immediate impression and presents your project in a persuasive way.
Revising Your Book
Developmental editing elevates books-to-be.
Together, we will explore how your project reads as a book. We will scrutinize its structure, narrative arc, authorial voice, and intended audience. In conducting a close and critical reading, I will offer detailed feedback on the clarity of your manuscript’s argument and its interventions, the effectiveness of the writing style, and the most pressing changes to consider prior to publication.
Outcome: You will know exactly what steps to take next to strengthen your manuscript and what particular edits prove to be imperative before seeing your years of hard work in print.
Promoting Your Book
We all wish for our work to be read, but all too often rely upon presses with finite resources to generate “buzz” about our books.
Together, we will develop a detailed plan to ensure your scholarship reaches the widest possible audience. Among the topics we will cover are how to engage non-academic readers; how to have media outlets (print, audio, visual) showcase your scholarship; how to secure translations; and how to approach academic publications for reviews.
Outcome: You will know how, where, and when to market your book, placing your project in the best position to be read widely.
