Navigating the Process of Publishing an Academic Book

The following is an experiment. I have been asked many times to give advice on the book publishing process. I recorded myself talking someone through the entire process, and put the transcript through Claude.ai in order to clean it up, punctuate it, and edit it for redundancy and clarity. I then read through the AI-generated text to make any needed corrections or tweaks. The results are below. Let me know what you think!

Pitching a University Press

You can pitch a university press directly without having a prior relationship with the editors or a referral from another author. There are two main approaches:

1. Submit to a specific series the press is organizing. Search for relevant series on their website and determine if your book is a good fit. Then reach out directly to the series editor, who will usually be an academic colleague in the field.

2. Reach out to one of the press’s acquisition editors, who are listed on the website along with their areas of interest. Find the right acquisition editor(s) and email them. Here, you’re pitching the book as an independent title rather than for a specific series.

In either case, introduce the book in your initial email, express interest in publishing with their press or series, and invite them to respond if interested. Include a brief 1–2 paragraph description covering:

- A couple sentences summarizing the book

- 1–2 sentences on your background and qualifications

- 1–2 sentences on what makes the book unique and timely

- 1–2 sentences on the target audience

- Key specifics like word count and timeline for manuscript completion

I recommend sending this initial inquiry widely to 10–20 presses you’d be open to working with. Send them all on the same day, then give it a month or so to see who expresses interest.

The next step is sending a full book proposal to the presses who said they’d be interested. Most presses have guidelines for what they want to see in a proposal. Typically, it is a 10–12 page document covering the key points above in more detail depth. I personally have always preferred to send out a shorter 3–4 page document that still addresses everything thoroughly. In either case, also attach 1–2 sample chapters.

You can send proposals to multiple interested presses, but be transparent that you’re doing so. If you strongly prefer a particular press, communicate that to them up front. However, casting a wide net gives you more options. Allow 6–8 weeks for response.

Landing a Trade Book Deal

Pitching a trade book requires an entirely different process. You’ll need a literary agent, as top trade presses won’t usually work directly with authors.

Use a resource like Writer’s Market to find agents in your field and learn their proposal requirements. The ingredients of a good proposal are not substantially different than what I listed above, but trade presses tend want more details on marketing and audience and less detail on the nuances of the book’s argument.

To find an agent, send your proposal to multiple prospects at once and see who’s interested. Sign a contract with the one you choose, who will then handle securing you a book deal. They earn a commission (usually around 15%) on your royalties, but their expertise and connections are essential for breaking into the trade market.

Preparing Your Manuscript for Delivery

While some authors may be tempted to send in an incomplete or unfinalized manuscript in hopes of getting early feedback from peer reviewers, this approach can be risky. It’s always preferable to submit the best possible version of the manuscript to make a strong first impression.

Before submitting for peer review, take the time to carefully fill in any gaps, complete all footnotes, and thoroughly proofread and edit the manuscript. If there are any known flaws or shortcomings that still need to be addressed, consider adding a note to the reviewers either at the beginning of the manuscript or as a footnote. (For example, you might flag a statistic that will need to be updated before final publication in this way.)

The goal is to present peer reviewers with a comprehensive vision of the completed work, not a half-baked work in progress. A polished manuscript instills confidence in the quality and rigor of the project. While peer reviewers will identify areas for improvement, your manuscript should showcase your full effort and commitment rather than reading as an early draft. Investing in getting the manuscript as strong as possible before peer review will pay dividends in the long run.

Responding to Peer Review Comments

If all goes well, you should receive peer reviews from the press within about 6 months of submitting your manuscript. If 6 months have passed without hearing anything from the press, don’t hesitate to reach out to your acquisitions or series editor and ask for a status report. It would be appropriate to follow up monthly to keep track of the process. In my view, if the process goes longer than a year, this signals neglect on the part of the press. My advice would be to pull your manuscript and fid a different press.

Typically, you need two peer reviewers to approve the manuscript in order to recommended publication and to be offered a contract by the press. When responding to peer review comments, you should carefully consider all the suggestions and decide how to address each one. Most minor suggestions should simply be incorporated. For larger critiques regarding the book’s approach or scope, the author can respectfully make a case for their choices if needed, for instance by declining to make substantial changes to the book while adding to the introduction a few explanatory sentences as to why this perspective is not included in the work.

What’s most important is for you to signal your thoughtful engagement with the reviews, not to make every change that was suggested. You will likely be asked to submit a document explaining how you addressed each point, which can be done succinctly in bullet points. This step is more of a formality and will not likely be heavily scrutinized by the press unless the peer reviewers were especially critical.

When responding to peer reviews, remember that these are a valuable preview of how the book may be received upon publication. They give the author a chance to proactively address potential critiques and make the manuscript as strong as possible.

From Manuscript to Publication

There are no guarantees, as issues can arise at any stage of the process, but most academic books are published about a year to a year and a half from the time of the revised manuscript being submitted.

Early in this period, the author will be given a detailed production schedule and the target publication date. It’s crucial to adhere to the deadlines laid out by the press for reviewing copy edits, proofs, etc., so you should block your calendar in advance so you are sure to be free during these crucial times. If any conflicts arise, they should be communicated to the press as early as possible.

Once the book is submitted to production, it should be become available for pre-order on sites like Amazon. For tenure review purposes at most institutions, a book in production with a set publication date is counted the same as a book already out.

The Roles Involved in Academic Book Publishing

The acquisitions editor is the main point of contact for the author, especially in the early stages of getting the book under contract. Their primary responsibility is “landing the book” and shepherding the author through the peer review and contract process.

The legal department handles the book contract and permissions for any copyrighted materials that need to be included, such as archival images. They will provide the official forms that need to be completed by the rights holders.

The production or editorial department takes over once the final manuscript is submitted. They manage the copy editing, layout, and proofing processes. The author will be put in touch with several people from this department and given a detailed production schedule to adhere to.

The marketing department is responsible for positioning the book for success by writing persuasive back cover copy, author bio, and metadata like keywords. They also handle the cover design. The author can expect to interact with the marketing team on these elements, as well as marketing and PR opportunities such as advertising and podcast appearances.

The author should keep track of the key contacts in each area. It’s fine to funnel most communication through the acquisitions editor, but the author may need to communicate directly with other departments at times.

Managing Permissions for Images and Other Third-Party Content

Any archival images, maps, or other third-party content included in the book (including lengthy quotes not covered under “fair use”) must be properly credited and permissioned. The press will provide the official forms that must be signed by the rights holders granting permission for the content to appear in the book. There may be licensing fees involved, which can often be paid through an author’s research funds.

Tracking down rights holders can take some legwork. Most presses and archives have a dedicated permissions contact and process outlined on their website. If a rights holder doesn’t respond after several attempts at contact over a 6+ month period, that can be taken as passive permission to use the content. Public domain materials like Google maps simply need to be properly attributed.

The permissions process should be started soon after completing the manuscript to get it underway. But it is not necessary to have all permissions finalized before submitting the manuscript. The author can work on finalizing permissions in parallel with the early stages of production.

Conclusion

In conclusion, navigating the world of academic book publishing requires persistence, strategic thinking, and a willingness to engage proactively with key individuals at every stage of the process. Armed with a strong manuscript and a dose of determination, authors can find the right publishing homes for their work and make meaningful contributions to their fields.

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