Contracts, Agents, and Editors, Oh My! Demystifying the Path to Publication

Summary

What is an advance contract? Do you need an agent? How do you know which editor to approach with your manuscript? Successfully following the path to academic publishing can be daunting for first-time authors. But it doesn’t have to be. Acquisitions editor Laura Devulis joins us to explain the hidden curriculum, including:

  • How soon you can approach an academic press with your proposal.
  • What it means when your editor offers you an advance contract.
  • How much of your manuscript can be previously published.
  • What happens when you miss a deadline.
  • Some important things to communicate to your editor.

Our guest is: Laura Davulis, who is an acquisitions editor at the Johns Hopkins University Press, where she publishes academic and trade books in American history and current affairs. She lives in Baltimore. You can follow her on Twitter (@davulis) for musings on books and publishing, along with cat pictures and extended discussions of pizza-making techniques.

Our host is: Dr. Christina Gessler, a historian of women and gender.

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Your Host

Christina Gessler

Dr. Christina Gessler holds a Ph.D. in history, which she uses to explore what stories we tell and what happens to those we never tell. She is the creator and executive producer of the Academic Life podcast, and writes the show's newsletter ChristinaGessler.Substack.Com featuring curated playlists and writing advice. She is a writing coach and developmental editor for academics.
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