Hi Reader!
It's time for a bit of a shift here at Manuscript Works. The last three years have been dominated by my latest book project, proposing and drafting it in 2023, heavily revising it and testing the material in 2024, and releasing it with a lot of supporting content and promotion activities in 2025. I now feel I've done all I can to make that project a success and the rest will be up to the readers.
So what does that mean for my 2026? My intention words for the year are slow down. There's no need to launch into the next book project immediately (I remind myself weekly). I will be trying to take the hundreds of hours I funneled into the book over the past three years and redirect it toward genuine rest and some new activities that will hopefully bring some new energy into my business (like developing my 1:1 advising program, Publishing Club).
I'll also be changing up the format of this newsletter a bit, in response to a poll I ran a few weeks back. Those who responded overwhelmingly told me that your favorite thing about this newsletter is the concrete book publishing tips, so I'm going to make sure to center those going forward. But while I'm planning to pack more actionable information into each regular newsletter, I'm going to reduce the frequency to give you more time to really digest them. I'll be aiming for two main newsletter issues a month, which will assemble practical tips, links to my free resources, new book release announcements, quick conversations with acquiring editors, and answers to reader questions.
You'll also see a few additional (short!) emails from me each month to make sure you know about immediately upcoming programs and events. We all have a million things going on, and I know I tend to forget about things unless I'm reminded a few times, so I hope you'll find these quick announcement emails helpful throughout the year.
Normally, I'll be letting you know what's coming up a month or two in advance, but since I'm in annual planning mode at the beginning of January (and maybe you are too), I thought that today I'd share a longer-range glimpse into what I'll be offering this year.
These dates and topics are not set in stone, but they'll at least give you a loose framework to add to your calendar if you wish. Keep an eye on your inbox for updates and further details.
January 3 (today)
Applications open for Publishing Club (My new one-on-one advising program)
January 20 – February 27
Professional Developmental Editing for Academics (A live course for editors and aspiring editors)
February 4
Author Support Q&A (Manuscript Works Author Support members only)
March 2-31
Manuscript Development Workshop (A live course to help you produce a realistic and effective revision plan for your current work in progress)
April 20–24
Five-Day Challenge: Find the Perfect-Fit Publisher for Your Scholarly Book (Free in April, but you can get the evergreen version anytime if you'd rather start now)
May 1
Book Publishing Master Plan workshop (part of my new Publishing Club)
May 6
Author Support Q&A (Manuscript Works Author Support members only)
May 18–June 30
Book Proposal Accelerator (A live course with personalized feedback that has helped hundreds of scholars land book contracts since 2019)
June 13–15
Association of University Presses annual conference (I'll be moderating a panel on editorial labor and author-editor relationships. I'd love to meet up if you'll be in Seattle too!)
July 6–August 6
Manuscript Development Workshop
August 5
Author Support Q&A (Manuscript Works Author Support members only)
August 7
One-day workshop, topic TBA
September 8–October 23
Book Proposal Accelerator. This will be my first time offering the Book Proposal Accelerator in the fall (northern hemisphere) since 2019. I hope this timing will work well for some of you!
November 4
Author Support Q&A (Manuscript Works Author Support members only)
November 6
One-day workshop, topic TBA
November 9–December 11
Manuscript Development Workshop. I'm not entirely sure if I will offer this third session of MDW in 2026—it'll depend on the level of interest. If this timing sounds promising for you, feel free to let me know!
I haven't included my private institutional workshops on this list. If you are in charge of planning such things at your university and you'd like to bring me in for a workshop, I'd love to hear from you. You can also directly email Molly Grote at Princeton University Press (molly_grote@press.princeton.edu) for more info about my private workshop options.
I hope to work with you at one of the above workshops, courses, or events this year. You can always reply directly to my emails with your publishing questions (to be answered in a future newsletter) or send a message to support@manuscriptworks.com if you need assistance with any of my resources or programs.
Thanks for being a newsletter subscriber and I'll see you soon!
P.S. Need a referral for a skilled and trustworthy developmental editor? Fill out my referral request form to get curated recommendations tailored to your project and goals.
|
|
In case we haven't met before, I’m Laura Portwood-Stacer, professional developmental editor and scholarly book author. Since starting my consultancy Manuscript Works in 2015, my courses and workshops have helped thousands of writers navigate the scholarly book publishing process with more ease and agency.
I aim to bring honesty and empathy to the process of writing and publishing your book because I know firsthand how nerve-wracking and opaque the whole thing can be.
More about Laura and Manuscript Works →
|