The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors

Laura Portwood-Stacer

Jul 2021 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Erin deWard

About this audiobook

The scholarly book proposal may be academia's most mysterious genre. You have to write one to get published, but most scholars receive no training on how to do so-and you may have never even seen a proposal before you're expected to produce your own. The Book Proposal Book cuts through the mystery and guides prospective authors step by step through the process of crafting a compelling proposal and pitching it to university presses and other academic publishers. Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant for academic authors, shows how to select the right presses to target, identify audiences and competing titles, and write a project description that will grab the attention of editors-breaking the entire process into manageable tasks. The book features over fifty time-tested tips to make your proposal stand out; sample prospectuses, a letter of inquiry, and a response to reader reports from real authors; answers to dozens of the most common questions about the scholarly publishing process; and much, much more. Whether you're hoping to publish your first book or you're a seasoned author with an unfinished proposal languishing on your hard drive, The Book Proposal Book provides honest, empathetic, and invaluable advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published.

About the author

Laura Portwood-Stacer is a developmental editor and founder of Manuscript Works, a consultancy serving academic authors around the world. She is the author of Lifestyle Politics and Radical Activism and previously taught media and cultural studies at New York University and the University of Southern California.

Erin deWard is an Audie Award-winning audiobook narrator and a classically trained stage actor. She is a longtime company member of The Strange Bedfellows, a Rockland County, New York-based Shakespeare company.