Hi Manuscript Workers,

I know you probably have other things on your mind this week (your semester wrapping up, the horrors of settler colonialism, all sorts of life things in between those sources of stress), so this week’s newsletter is a quick one just to announce two things.

First, The Book Proposal Book: A Guide for Scholarly Authors is now available for preorder and should be shipping within mere weeks (official US publication date is July 13th). The guide is structured around a set of discrete steps that will get you from “I want to publish an academic book” to “I’m ready to confidently submit a book proposal and accept an offer from a scholarly publisher” with as little suffering and uncertainty as possible. To accompany those steps, I’ve developed a set of worksheets. They’re not included within the book (to save space and in turn to keep the purchase price of the book under $20) but I will be making them available to download for free on my website once the book is out.

Here’s the announcement: if you preorder the book and want to get a head start on the worksheets before they’re posted publicly on my website, you can email me your order confirmation and I’ll send you the worksheets right away. They come in two formats—printable PDF and fillable Word doc—so you can pick the mode that’s most fun (“fun”) for you. You can email me directly at laura@manuscriptworks.com with the subject line “Worksheets for preorder” so I’ll be sure to see your message. I don’t need your address or credit card statement or anything. A screenshot that simply shows you’ve ordered the book will be just fine.

The second announcement is that I’m now accepting applications for a couple of free spots in the upcoming Book Proposal Accelerator session. These spots are intended as scholarships for people who genuinely cannot afford the enrollment fee. I realize that because the Accelerator filled up much more quickly than I anticipated and is now full, I’ve inadvertently incentivized people to apply for a free spot even if cost wasn’t their issue in getting a spot originally. I’m very sorry about that; I will just ask that you please only apply for this opportunity if you would have liked to sign up but could not pay the fee. (There are other opportunities available for people who were planning to pay for a spot but didn’t get in in time.)

Here’s how to apply for an Accelerator scholarship spot:

• Send an email to laura@manuscriptworks.com with the subject line “Accelerator Scholarship” (don’t reply to this email because it might not get sorted to the right place in my inbox)

• In the body of your email, briefly describe your book project (one paragraph is plenty).

• I will be prioritizing applications from scholars from the Global South this time, so if that’s you (however you define it), please note that in your email as well.

I’ll accept applications until this Monday, May 17th. I’ll try to make selections within a day or two after that and let you know whether you’re in or not as soon as possible.

Thanks everybody. Hope you’re finding sources of solidarity and support out there. See you next week.