Upcoming Webinar: How to Pitch Your Book to Scholarly Publishers

Hi Manuscript Workers,

I’ve mentioned before in this newsletter that I don’t plan to do too many public talks in 2022. I’ve decided to mostly concentrate my efforts on connecting with prospective authors in different ways, with the greatest focus being my online programs and this newsletter. But sometimes an opportunity is so appealing you can’t pass it up, and that’s why I do have one public webinar planned for this spring.

I was very excited to be invited by one of my heroes, publishing expert Jane Friedman, to offer a webinar in her amazing series of online classes. The topic will be “How to Pitch Your Book to Scholarly Publishers” and it will be the most succinct presentation possible of all my best book publishing advice. The webinar is priced accessibly at $30 and everyone who registers will receive a transcript and recording (whether you can attend live or not). The live presentation will be on Friday, March 25th, at 10am Pacific.

You can register for the webinar by clicking here.

Attending the webinar would be a great low-commitment way to see if you like my approach and might want to participate in one of my longer programs. You’ll also learn a lot to set yourself up for success with scholarly publishers when the time comes to try to get your book published.

Below is the full description if you’re curious but not yet sure whether this webinar is right for you.

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If you’re working on a serious nonfiction project, an academic monograph, or a book with regional appeal, a university press or other scholarly publisher might be the perfect fit for your project. But academic publishing has distinct norms and expectations, and understanding what they are will increase your odds of a successful pitch.

In this 75-minute webinar with Laura Portwood-Stacer, an experienced developmental editor and publishing consultant, you will learn:

• how scholarly presses differ from trade publishers (and what advantages scholarly publishers offer)

• the key steps of the acquisition process and how to navigate them

• how to evaluate presses for fit and approach relevant editors (yes, you can approach without an agent!)

• how to pitch if you don’t have a finished manuscript

• how to grab an editor’s attention with a strong working title

• what to expect from the peer review process

Most academic publisher websites provide information for prospective authors, including guidelines for submitting a book proposal (that info might be buried in the site menu somewhere, so be prepared to dig for it). You’ll learn what the submissions terminology means, plus get a high-level overview of book proposal writing, including:

• what scholarly publishers love to see in book proposal submissions and how to make yours stand out

• red flag issues often found in book proposals

• how your comparable books analysis makes a case for a fit between the book and the press

• why the table of contents and chapter summaries are so important

Whether you’re hoping to publish your first book or you’re a seasoned author, this class provides honest advice on how to overcome common sticking points and get your book published.

Thanks for reading and please do feel free to share this email far and wide!