Publishing Your First Book as an Academic: How to Start and Finish Your Manuscript

As an early career academic, you likely aspire to publish your first book someday. But taking that daunting leap from writing journal articles to tackling a full-length book can seem overwhelming. Where do you even begin?

Here are three tips that will help you stay on track and turn your research into a published book:

1. Create a detailed chapter outline

Before writing anything, set a deadline to complete an initial draft chapter outline. Make it your goal to create this outline in the next two weeks. Include proposed titles, subsections, and a 2-3 sentence summary of the key points you want to cover in each chapter. This big-picture thinking will prove invaluable in organizing your ideas cohesively before getting lost in the weeds of writing.

2. Set a consistent daily writing goal

Writing a book can't be done in a few marathon sessions. It requires showing up day after day. Set a goal of starting out writing just one sentence a day, every day.  Do this for a week. The next week, write two sentences a day.  Every day.  For a week.  Keep building up your endurance until you are writing about two double-spaced pages a day.  Don’t worry about writing in perfect prose.  Try turning your spell-checker off.  Write for speed, not perfection!  You may need to wake up 30 minutes earlier than normal every morning to make the time.  By sticking to this kind of disciplined behavior, you will create your manuscript over the course of a year.  Imagine how great you feel looking back over the year!  Will you regret even one day you sacrificed to accomplish that great work? 

3. Join a writing group

Consider joining a small writing group with peers in your field. You can share chapter drafts and ask for feedback. Having regular deadlines and accountability is crucial motivation. Try searching relevant hashtags on Twitter or asking mentors to connect you with other scholars interested in starting a writing group. Another option is the Shut Up & Write online community that hosts virtual writing events. Of course, the easiest option is to reach out to KeyPoint Press who works with authors directly (for free) to coach them and help them with their book project, start to finish. Contact us to get started today, what are you waiting for?

Writing a book while balancing other faculty demands is certainly challenging. There will be many days you feel writer’s block or uncertain about how to move forward. By focusing on small, manageable tasks instead of the daunting book project, you will be able to chip away at it steadily. Ten minutes of writing on a tough day is still progress. Celebrate small wins. One sentence on a page is better than a blank page.  And remind yourself why you embarked on this journey in the first place—to share your knowledge and perspective. You have a book in you waiting to emerge. It just takes persistence. You've got this!

Contact KeyPoint Press so we can discuss your idea for your next book project!

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