Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.
How long it takes to land a book contract
Published about 5 hours ago • 9 min read
The Manuscript Works Newsletter
Essential knowledge on scholarly book publishing that every author should have
Hello Manuscript Workers!
What's in this edition:
How long does it take to land a book contract?
Upcoming events: Publishing Club applications close next week
Meet an acquiring editor at De Gruyter Brill
New recognition for books by Collie Fulford and Chavella Pittman
Free resource: Find the Perfect-Fit Publisher for Your Scholarly Book
Frequently asked question: What should I do while waiting for peer reviews to come back?
As always, if you have a question or suggestion for a future newsletter, you can reply directly to this message. Thanks for reading!
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.
If you've got a scholarly book project in the works and a goal to have a publishing contract in hand, you might be wondering how long you can expect the process to take. To figure that out, you need to know the steps in the process.
Here are the steps that a typical scholarly author will go through. I'm presenting them in terms of hypothetical dates along a reasonable timeline, if you were to start next month:
April 2026: Research publishers and identify the most promising ones for your project
May + June 2026: Write book proposal
July 2026: Plan out any needed manuscript revisions and work on sample chapter(s)
August 2026: Finish sample chapter(s) and finalize book proposal
September 2026: Submit book proposal and sample chapters to publisher(s)
October 2026: Receive publisher approval to go through peer review (for full manuscript or sample chapters)
November + December 2026: Wait for peer reviews
January 2027: Receive peer review reports and write response memo
February 2027: Receive editorial board approval. Review contract language and negotiate terms as needed.
March 2027: Sign contract!
Remember that this is very much a hypothetical timeline. It's possible for things to move more quickly than this, and it's very possible (even likely) for things to move much more slowly. The above timeline assumes you'll be getting positive, timely responses at every step, which doesn't always happen.
If any of the steps on the above timeline feel confusing or intimidating to you (or if you're currently having a mild panic attack about how long everything might take) know that there is support available at every point to help you handle your side of things as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Keep scrolling to find a few tools that can help!
Read my books 👉 publish your book
Request Make Your Manuscript Work and The Book Proposal Book from your local library or purchase on Bookshop to support indie bookstores (and me, by using my affiliate link). Once you've got your copies, you can download free worksheets to go with them!
Upcoming programs for scholarly authors
Applications close March 29.
Get one-on-one support for every step of the publishing process, from drafting your proposal to navigating peer review to negotiating your contract.
In this regular feature of the newsletter, I chat with an acquiring editor to find out what kinds of scholarly book projects they're interested in hearing about and to capture any great tips they have for aspiring authors. Today's guest editor is Myrto Aspioti from De Gruyter Brill.
Laura Portwood-Stacer: Thanks for chatting with me, Myrto! Could you tell readers where you work, what kind of books you’re acquiring these days, and anything else about yourself or your background that you’d like to share?
Myrto Aspioti: Hi Laura, thank you for inviting me to your newsletter! I work as an acquisitions editor at De Gruyter Brill, and I commission monographs, edited volumes, and occasionally reference works in literary and cultural studies, primarily in German studies, film and media studies (including comics studies), comparative literature, narrative theory, and memory studies. My own background is in German studies (and, long ago, French too), but I am most interested in topics that straddle different language areas and disciplines—the more transnational and interdisciplinary a project, the more likely it is to be a good fit for our list!
LPS: You work at an independent commercial academic press based in Europe. Can you talk about the benefits of publishing with a press like yours and what prospective authors might find appealing about working with De Gruyter Brill?
MA: De Gruyter Brill is still family-owned! We are a medium-sized publisher based in Germany and the Netherlands, though we have offices in the US and many other countries around the world. We are independent from any institution, public or private, which means we are not as vulnerable to policy changes and budget cuts as some of our counterparts at university presses are. We are free to publish on any topic our editors see fit, provided the content meets certain quality standards.
De Gruyter and Brill merged in 2024, and it’s in many ways a great match: two reputable European publishers with long traditions in publishing top scholarship, and a strong commitment to the Humanities and social sciences joining forces. We also have similar editorial cultures; our editors are all subject experts with masters degrees or PhDs in the fields in which they’re acquiring, which means we understand what we publish! We are familiar with the challenges of academic work and know what is most important to our authors. I think this is our biggest asset, from the authors’ point of view: we’re not mass producing books, we really take our time to understand and keep our authors involved throughout the process. In industry speak, we’re ‘service-oriented’; in practice, we are responsive and conscientious, and when I acquire new projects I do so in good faith, knowing authors will be in good hands. It helps that we also have the structures to deliver on our promises; we have global distribution networks and a great new website, which our University Press partners are also using to distribute their content outside the US. [Note from Laura: De Gruyter Brill is the European distributor for my two Princeton University Press books!]
Accessibility is definitely a priority; while our books have traditionally been designed to survive decades of library use, we are actually very digital-forward, and an ever-expanding proportion of our content is available in open access.
LPS: I know that field-specific conferences are important venues for cultivating your academic networks. What should authors do if they aren’t able to attend conferences in person? How can they make meaningful connections with editors they might want to publish with?
MA: In-person conferences are irreplaceable for so many reasons; they set the stage for conversations that grow into books, collaborations, curricula, activist networks, not to mention life-long friendships! They are the greatest networking opportunities we have as academics and publishers. I know ‘networking’ is a bit of an uncomfortable term for some academics (I have written about getting over my initial qualms, if you’d like to take a look) but there’s no way around it. And while in-person events are always best, there are definitely other (and cheaper!) ways to build bridges in the field. In fact, a chat without a follow-up e-mail may be forgotten in the aftermath of a conference, so a written note is just as important in consolidating, or even initiating, a connection.
I often get e-mails from people who have found my address on our website, and these e-introductions can be just as effective as in-person chats, provided they are friendly, brief, and give me some basic information on who the author is – where they work, what their field of expertise is, and what kind of project they are reaching out about. And provided they include a proper signature, ideally with a link to the author’s professional presence online, be it their university website, LinkedIn profile, academia.edu profile, or the like. A two-liner saying hello, asking me for our proposal guidelines, and signing off properly is perfect, actually.
LPS: What kinds of projects are you most excited about lately?
MA: I could mention so many projects that I am genuinely excited about, but I only have about 200 words to use up here! I am so proud to be involved in series that have been going strong for literally decades, such as Interdisciplinary German Cultural Studies, Media and Cultural Memory, Culture and Conflict, and Paradigms. Working with the editors of these series is one of the absolute highlights of my job. And then I also set up some newer book series that I really believe in: Cultures of Ageing and Care is, I think, unique in the way it brings together disciplinary perspectives on the intersections of ageing and providing care; Ecocriticism Unbound showcases work that challenges the anthropocentrism of environmental discourses even in literary and cultural criticism; and Transnational Approaches to Culture publishes work that maps the ways all culture is informed by processes of migration, translation, and intercultural encounters.
LPS: If someone reading this has a book project they want to tell you about, how can they get in touch?
MA: E-mail is probably best, my address is myrto.aspioti@degruyterbrill.com. I’m also happy to be contacted on LinkedIn, and I am one of the people behind our Literature and Culture Bluesky account, @dgb-langlitcult.bsky.social. I am on a slightly reduced travel schedule this year but am really looking forward to being at the German Studies Association conference in Phoenix in September!
If you're an acquiring editor who'd like to reach potential authors in a future newsletter, get in touch by emailing laura@manuscriptworks.com.
New recognition for books by Manuscript Works clients and readers
Insiders, Outliers by Collie Fulford recently won the 2026 Outstanding Book Award from the College Composition and Communication Conference and was one of two monographs honored this year. Collie shared her author experience in this newsletter last year. Congratulations, Collie!
Empowered by Chavella T. Pittman was a 2025 Foreward INDIES Book of the Year finalist in the Education (Adult Nonfiction) category. Chavella shared her author experience in this newsletter last year. Congratulations, Chavella!
Want your book featured in a future newsletter? Send your cover image and publisher webpage to support@manuscriptworks.com. Bonus points: tell us which Manuscript Works resources helped you along the way.
Looking for professional support with your book or article manuscript, but not sure who can help? When you fill out my referral request form, you'll be sent a curated list of trusted editors—matched to your specific field and needs—whom you can contact right away.
Keep in mind that experienced developmental editors may book up months in advance, so if you're even starting to contemplate working with someone, now is the time to reach out.
Frequently asked question
What should I do while I wait for peer review reports to come back?
Answer: One option is to completely set your book project aside while you wait for the peer reviews. Taking a break will help you return to it with fresh eyes when it's time to make a revision plan in response to the peer reviews. You can use this time to focus on a different project, which may help you build your author platform, add new lines to your CV, and generally distract you from your anticipatory anxiety about what the peer reviewers will say about your book.
The other option is to keep working on your book manuscript while you wait. If you're in time crunch to get your book published, you might not have the luxury of setting it aside for several months while peer review is ongoing. If this is your situation, I suggest taking the opportunity to perform a manuscript assessment on your current draft and make a tentative revision plan. (My book, Make Your Manuscript Work, shows you exactly how to do this.) When you do receive the peer reviews, you can compare the reviewers' comments with your own revision plan. You'll likely find that you've already thought about how to address some of their concerns, because you were able to anticipate them during your own assessment. You can tweak your revision plan as necessary, then use it to write a persuasive response to the peer reviews and make the needed changes to your manuscript.
Do you have a question you'd like to see answered in a future newsletter? Reply to this message!
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Essential knowledge about scholarly book publishing that every author should have. Get weekly tips on writing and publishing your scholarly book from developmental editor and publishing consultant Laura Portwood-Stacer, PhD.