By James Steur, Ph.D., Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Many individuals who have completed a dissertation, or are considering publishing a book for the first time, often find themselves asking a straightforward question: what are the actual steps involved in publishing a book? Although individuals with advanced degrees and specialized expertise are trained to produce original research, that training does not always translate into a clear understanding of how to pursue publication of a book. As a result, there is often a gap between completing your research projects and navigating the steps to turn that work into a published book.
The MPSA Roundtable, “Getting Your Book Published – Advice from Political Science Acquisitions Editors,” was a highly informative roundtable session on the topic. The acquisitions editors featured the perspectives of the University Press of Kansas, Cambridge University Press, Springer Nature, Palgrave Macmillan, and Bloomsbury Academic offered highly practical steps for getting your book published. Below, I highlight some of these key takeaways.
1. Finding and Approaching Publishers
The process of publishing academic books is highly specialized, so you want to identify presses that will support the topic and intended audience of your manuscript. To do this, begin by looking at the books you cite and use in your own work: that press may be a good fit for you consider.
You can also initiate contact by email, but conferences like MPSA are a valuable space to meet editors and start conversations early. Given whatever deadlines you may face to publish, it’s never too early to discuss your idea with an editor. Remember that these conversations are exploratory and not binding—they can help you understand fit and scope of your project. Editors want to offer you support and make sure that your project can find the best avenue for publishing.
2. Understanding Audience & Significance
A central question to keep in mind when developing a book project is simple: Who is this book for, and why would they care?
Monographs are typically directed toward an academic audience, with research libraries representing a major market. That means your book must clearly signal its contribution and fit within existing debates in the literature. Trade books, on the other hand, look for a broader readership. This means trade books should offer a compelling explanation of why a topic is meaningful: interview anecdotes or humanizing stories are two powerful ways to appeal to a more general readership.
While the expectations for audience and marketing differ for the two genres, the core challenge remains the same. As you prepare your proposal, clearly define your audience and make a persuasive case for why the book is important to them. If a publisher cannot quickly understand both of these elements, the likelihood of publication decreases significantly.
3. Crafting a Strong Proposal
If there’s one place to invest your energy, it’s the proposal. This is where editors decide whether your project is worth pursuing. On the very first page, they should understand what the book is, why it matters, and what it contributes. As one editor said during the panel, “A strong proposal answers three core questions: Why this book? Why now? Why you?” It also clearly identifies the audience and situates the project among existing titles. As a small tip, spend a little extra time on the title to make the purpose of your work clear.
Additionally, consider pulling elements of the conclusion into the introduction of your proposal to help explain its significance and importance. With longer works like dissertations or book-length projects, you can better communicate your findings to editors and general readers by making the payoff clear right from the start. In other words, the front end of the book should show why it’s worth their time to keep reading.
4. Dissertation to Book
A large portion of the panel focused on how to transform a dissertation into a book. The central takeaway is that a dissertation almost always requires revision to become a publishable manuscript. Whereas the dissertation is written primarily for a committee and a relatively narrow academic audience, a book is designed for a broader readership and therefore needs to be reframed with wider appeal in mind. Some common strategies to consider include:
- Develop a coherent, central argument across chapters. The book should read as a unified narrative rather than a collection of separate papers; each chapter should build logically on the previous one and advance a consistent overarching claim.
- Remove or substantially revise literature reviews. What may have been necessary for the dissertation committee can often be streamlined in a book manuscript to keep the focus on your argument and contribution.
- Make the Work Engaging. Add narratives, interviews, or interesting examples to pique the interest of your reader throughout the book. This helps the work appeal to a more general audience.
Overall, the panel was highly informative, offering valuable perspectives on the publishing process from five different editors representing a range of publishing contexts. The discussion highlighted both shared expectations and important differences across presses and audiences. Hopefully, these insights provide you with some practical steps as you move forward in your own publishing journey.
About the Author
James Steur is a lecturer in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research interests include political psychology, political behavior, and the role of emotions in citizen decision-making. He is a first-generation student, passionate coffee drinker, and excited to be blogging at MPSA. You can find James on his website at https://www.jamessteur.com/, X at @JamesSteur, and BlueSky at @jamessteur.bsky.social
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the MPSA (Midwest Political Science Association). Any content provided is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as official statements or endorsements by MPSA.