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!

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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. 

In this second episode of our series on book introductions, Jane answers the question of timing for book introductions. When is the best time to write the introduction? Should you do it first, or wait until you’ve written the entire book? 

This question covers a few issues: workflow, mindset, and organization. Tune in to today’s episode to learn: 

• The real question you’re asking if you ask when to write your introduction. 
• Three different options for organizing your thoughts in preparation for writing the book. 
• What you should know before writing your introduction.  

📝 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. 

Your academic book’s introduction is your first opportunity to make an impression on your reader. It’s natural that you’d be worried about writing it well. One aspect of the introduction that authors tend to fixate on is length. How long should your introduction be? 

In today’s episode, which is the first of a series on book introductions, Jane will discuss length. If you’re worried that your introduction will be too long or too short, after this episode you’ll know how to make the length just right. 

Here’s what we’ll cover: 

• Why asking how long your introduction should be isn’t the right question, and what you should be asking instead. 
• The value of looking at other books as examples, and how to approach that process strategically. 
• How to understand the length of your introduction in the context of the length of your entire book, rather than treating the introduction as its own project. 

Make sure to have a notebook handy, because you’re going to get a cheatsheet for thinking about how to approach your introduction. 

Books discussed: 

Stephanie E. Jones-Rogers, They Were Her Property: White Women as Slave Owners in the American South

Kellie Carter Jackson, We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance

Alexandra Freidus. Unequal Lessons: School Diversity and Educational Inequality in New York City

Yuki Kato. Gardens of Hope: Cultivation Food and the Future in a Post-Disaster City

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

📲 Let’s Connect! Say hi on BlueSky and share your favorite gem from this episode. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

💗 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. 

As you start writing this summer, you might be feeling pressure to “get it right the first time.” After all, you have a lot to catch up on, right? 

In this replay of our most popular episode, Jane discusses how and why you should treat your writing like a dress rehearsal. Embracing a sense of experimentation and curiosity can help you unlock your creativity.  You’ll also learn how to practice patience for your own unique writing process.  

Grab your headphones and tune in so you can start your summer writing with a sense of excitement for what’s to come. 

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

📲 Let’s Connect! Say hi on BlueSky and share your favorite gem from this episode. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

💗 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 talks to Dr. Brittany Fox-Williams, an alum of the Elevate (now known as Book Brilliance) coaching program. Dr. Fox-Williams is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Lehman College, City University of New York. She is also part of the Sociology Doctoral Faculty at the Graduate Center at City University of New York. Her forthcoming book examines the role of trust in student-educator relationships, the salience of trust for student outcomes, and racial differences in trust among youth. 

Tune in to hear: 

• How Brittany used the coaching in Book Brilliance to “hack” academia and figure out her role as a woman of color.
  
  
• The curriculum Brittany used to read strategically and start writing sooner. 
  
  
• Why Brittany joined at the end of her third year on the tenure track, and how that decision aligned with her strategic goals. 
  
  
• Brittany’s advice for applying for grants (as one of three Book Brilliance alums who secured fellowships at the Russell Sage Foundation).

💎Book Brilliance is open for summer enrollment! To learn more about the program and apply to join, click here: rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

 ✉️ 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 has a conversation with Dr. Yalidy Matos, an alum of the Elevate book coaching program. Dr. Matos is an Associate Professor of Political Science, a Russell Sage Foundation Fellow,  and the author of Moral and Immoral Whiteness in Immigration Politics. Tune in to hear: 

• The resources from the program that Yalidy returns to again and again
• Why Yalidy thinks the program is a unique space for minoritized faculty. 
• How the curriculum helped Yalidy write and confirm her ideas faster.
• Yalidy’s recommendations for getting creative to find funding to pay for professional development

💎Book Brilliance is open for summer enrollment! To learn more about the program and apply to join, click here: rightprose.co/book-brilliance/

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