In today’s episode, Jane is joined by Kel Weinhold, co-owner of the Professor Is In. Kel is a queer, non-conforming academic productivity coach who is dedicated to anti-racist practice and supporting Black women in and out of the academy. During this conversation, Jane and Kel discuss self-efficacy in academia. Tune in to learn:

➡️ How they define self-efficacy in academia

➡️ The structural constraints in academia that make it difficult to practice self-efficacy.

➡️ The relationship between white supremacy, racism, and self-efficacy

➡️  Why building self-efficacy is essential but also exhausting

If you’re a junior scholar who is struggling to say no to requests or you feel as if you’re constantly overworking, this episode is for you. 

To learn more about Kel, visit theprofessorisin.com or send an email to [email protected]

Further Listening: 

Episode #6: “Boundaries are Values In Action”

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️ Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

Join Jane as she celebrates a year of podcasting and shares the lessons she’s learned while embarking on a brand-new, long-term project. Podcasting is similar to writing a book in important ways, and in this episode you’ll discover some key principles for thinking about long-term projects, staying consistent, and setting up systems for success. 

This podcast would not exist without YOU! Thank you for listening!

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️ Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

On today’s podcast, Jane welcomes Laura Portwood-Stacer to the podcast to discuss her new book, Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers. Laura is the founder of Manuscript Works, a writing consultancy with a mission to help scholars achieve clarity and confidence in their published work. She offers straightforward, empathetic feedback that takes the guesswork out of scholarly book publishing and makes her clients feel that they can get their books out into the world and feel proud of the results.

During the episode, Jane and Laura discuss why Laura decided to write this book, how the book can help scholarly writers with the hard work of revision, and what the book can do to help scholarly writers feel less anxiety about the writing process. 

Highlights of their conversation include: 

➡️ How romanticizing the book writing process can make writers eschew developing systems.

➡️ Why thinking of manuscript development as a cycle can limit discouragement about writing multiple drafts. 

➡️ What you should be thinking about before you worry about accessibility. 

From the three-stage manuscript developmental cycle, to the four pillars of scholarly writing, and finally the ten most common opportunities for development, Make Your Manuscript Work prevents a clear, actionable system for turning your rough draft into a publishable book. 

You can learn more about Make Your Manuscript Work: A Guide to Developmental Editing for Scholarly Writers by visiting manuscriptworks.com/book

To learn more about Laura, visit manuscriptworks.com 

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️ Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

In today’s episode, Jane discusses what scholarly writers are really looking for when they say they need accountability. While accountability is essential for strong communities, there can also be a risk in always relying on others to maintain writing momentum. 

➡️ The difference between fostering reciprocal accountability in a community and using accountability selfishly. 

➡️ Why constantly looking for accountability can erode your self-trust. 

➡️ How examining your reasons for looking for accountability can expose how you think about yourself as a writer. 

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️ Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

In this episode, Jane shares an exciting announcement about a new program called Fundamentals of Academic Book Writing. Learn everything you need to know about the program, including: 

➡️ Why Jane decided to create this program and offer it now

➡️ The features of the program

➡️ Who Fundamentals is for

➡️ What you’ll gain if you enroll

You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes look at how Jane coached herself to offer a course unlike anything she’s offered before. 

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

If you’re starting to write an academic book, you probably have a lot of questions. One of them might be, “how exactly do I get started?” You have a lot of options, but some paths are going to prove to be more productive than others. If you want to start in a way that sets you up for success all along your writing journey, then this episode is for you.

In today’s episode, Jane is going to discuss three common approaches scholars take when starting to write their academic books, and the pitfalls of each approach. Then, she’ll show you a better way to start your book that will give you greater clarity and a sense of direction throughout the writing process. Even if you’ve already started your book but you feel like you’re writing in circles or having a lot of false starts, you can use this approach to get back on track. 

Further listening: Episode 24: Behind the Scenes: The Book Brilliance Walkthrough 

📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

What’s required to create a solid book writing plan? What do you need to know to make sure that you can actually execute the plan that you make? Planning isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. If you are ready to make a writing plan, or feeling discouraged about the plan you have, this episode is for you. Jane is going to introduce you to the three essential pillars of successful book planning. Once you learn these three pillars and then begin to use the skills in each, planning will become way less frustrating and much more rewarding. 

📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

Are you struggling to get work done during the time you’ve scheduled to write? Do you walk away from a writing session feeling like your time would have been better spent watching water boil? It’s frustrating to protect your time then feel like you have nothing to show for it. In today’s episode, Jane is going to share three strategies for bringing more focus to your writing sessions. With a combination of careful planning and attention to how you think about writing, you’ll be able to leave your writing sessions feeling satisfied with your progress. 

Grab a notebook, because you’ll be able to put these three strategies into action as soon as you’re done listening. 

📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

If you're writing an academic book in the humanities or social sciences, you might feel like the stakes are high when it comes to nailing your introductory chapter. How do you pique your readers’ interest while laying the foundation for a complex argument? What can you do to make sure you give the reader the appropriate amount of context without inundating them with details?  In this episode of Academic Book Writing Simplified, Jane breaks down the four essential elements your introductory chapter needs to make a strong, confident start. She’ll discuss: 

1. The central research question or problem
   
   
2. Your core argument or intervention
   
   
3. The broader stakes of your project
   
   
4. A clear, inviting roadmap for the rest of the book

Whether you're rewriting your introductory chapter for the umpteenth time or  starting from scratch, this episode offers practical guidance to help you clarify your voice and connect with your readers from the first page.

📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers. 

In this episode, Jane addresses one of the most commonly asked questions from academic writers who are turning their dissertations into scholarly books: What should I do with the literature review?

As you transition from dissertation to book, it's crucial to rethink how you approach the literature review. While your dissertation’s literature review may have been long and detailed, the introduction chapter of your book requires a much more concise and analytical approach. The goal is not to summarize every source but to critically engage with the existing scholarship in a way that sets up the argument for your own work.

Jane will explore how to condense your literature review by focusing on key themes that align with your book’s argument, rather than simply listing every study you referenced. You'll learn how to shift from a summary of existing research to a thoughtful analysis that shows where your work fits in the broader scholarly conversation.

She’ll also share practical tips for revising your literature review, such as 

💡How to organize your analysis thematically 

🎁How to position your work as a valuable contribution to the field

✂️How to cut unnecessary details 

By the end of the episode, you'll have a clear strategy for integrating a discussion of the literature into the introduction of your scholarly book in a way that is compelling and seamless.

If you're ready to tackle your book’s introduction with confidence, this episode is for you!

📝 Ready to turn your dissertation into a publication-worthy scholarly book? Learn how you can join Book Brilliance by visiting rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

💗 Spread the inspiration. Know someone who would benefit from some guidance on their book-writing journey? Share this episode with them!

✉️ Want even MORE bookish advice, right in your inbox? Sign up for Shelf Help, the newsletter with actionable tips for scholarly writers.