Dear Reader,
In the wake of all the uncertainty of the past several months, a big question on the minds of the scholarly authors I’ve talked to is “Will I still be able to publish my book?”
Let's put aside for a minute the fact that the conditions we're living in are not conducive to writing books. If you are finding it impossible to write at the moment, you're not alone. Unfortunately, I don't have much comfort to offer about the general state of the world right now. However, I know that many scholars see their research and writing as a place of refuge or even as a way to engage meaningfully with troubling events, so that's what I'm here to hold space for.
The worries that scholars express to me stem from two particular developments: 1. federal and state government attempts to suppress speech that they deem related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and 2. withdrawal of funding for institutions of higher education and other organizations like the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), among many others.
I've already seen my own author clients get funding pulled due to capricious (and, frankly, cruel) cancellation of grants. Loss of funding for individuals will certainly make it harder for them to gather the resources they had hoped to have while writing their books. But how do recent developments affect university presses themselves? If you are able to write your book, will there be anyone to publish it?
The answer, for now, still seems to be yes. I attended (and presented at) the Association of University Presses annual meeting two weeks ago, and I was listening carefully to how publishers were discussing these issues. The overall vibe I got was that university presses remain staunchly committed to the principle of academic freedom. I heard no one say that they were shifting their editorial priorities away from diversity, equity, inclusion, or social justice. If anything, I got the impression that presses are putting even more thought into how to handle books on “controversial” topics in ways that respect authors’ expertise, safety, and freedom of expression. I repeatedly heard speakers invoking the mission-driven nature of university press publishing and the importance of platforming scholars with world-changing ideas. (If you work at a university press and are getting a different vibe at your institution, please feel free to reply and let me know! Your email will come straight to me and I will keep what you share confidential if you wish.)
So, the vibes are ok editorially. What about financially? I’d say the vibes are mixed there. Recent threats to funding are a continuation of a trend that’s been going on for a long time in higher ed. Even without vicious retaliatory threats to university funding as a whole, many university presses have not been receiving as much financial support from their institutions as they would like. Cuts to library funding translate to fewer purchases of academic books across the board; publishers can't count on revenue from library purchases as they could decades ago. University presses are therefore accustomed to being scrappy and creative in figuring out how to publish books and get them into the hands of readers, and the overall vibe I got was that they will continue to be so. None of the speakers I heard seemed particularly pessimistic about the future of their presses; on the contrary, they seemed excited to meet the moment as they’ve been doing for years. (Again, if you've gotten different vibes and want to let me know about them privately, please do.)
What's the takeaway for you as a scholarly book author? Keep writing. But keep in mind what has always been true and what will continue to be true (perhaps even more so in trying times):
Publishers are looking for books that align with their mission and with the interests of the special readerships they’ve invested in cultivating. You will give your book the best shot at success by understanding what your target publisher’s mission is (look for it on their website) and who their existing readers are (familiarize yourself with the press’s recent publications to see what fields, topics, and approaches are in their wheelhouse).
When communicating with publishers about your project, don’t be shy about making the connections clear. Publishers need manuscripts, and if your project can help them keep doing what they’re here to do, they will want to know about it.
And if you’d like support for writing a book proposal or revising your manuscript to make your project an easy yes for your dream publisher, you know where to find me!
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This newsletter is coming to you from Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD, professional developmental editor and publishing consultant. I help scholarly writers navigate the book publishing process with more ease and agency.
I hope you'll stick around for practical tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book, but if you'd like to adjust your subscription settings, you can do that at the bottom of this message.
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Every author who enrolls in the Book Proposal Shortcut also gets complimentary membership in the Manuscript Works Author Support community, a private hub for ongoing support in your scholarly book publishing journey. Inside this community you'll get honest advice about publishers, peer review, offers and contracts, as well as join live Q&A sessions with Laura Portwood-Stacer and your fellow Manuscript Works authors. You'll also be invited to participate in my next Book Proposal Sprint, happening September 8–12, 2025.
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See you soon,