Category Archives: books

I’d like to thank… the important work of acknowledgements

Posted on January 14, 2013 by

I’m co-editing a book series at present. I’m not sure why, since I swore after the last one I would never do it again, but there you go. Just a slow learner or weak-willed, I guess. Last week one of … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, acknowledgements, books, dissertation, gift economy, Ken Hyland, thesis | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

judging a book by its cover – or title – or author order

Posted on October 1, 2012 by

One of the things that academic authors get very vexed about is the title of their book. They also often get very concerned about what goes on the cover. I’m no exception to this, although I have learnt to be … Continue reading →

Posted in author order, book cover, book title, books, marketing | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

a literature review as collective and inner library

Posted on September 21, 2012 by

I recently mentioned in passing in this blog, in relation to writing book reviews in fact, the book by Pierre Bayard provocatively entitled How to talk about books you haven’t read (2007). I want to suggest now that this is … Continue reading →

Posted in academic book, Bayard, books, literature review | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

writing from the PhD thesis – the publishing plan

Posted on September 7, 2012 by

I’m assuming that if you’re reading this post you have a publishing agenda – that is a list of potential articles from the PhD arranged in priority order. I’m also assuming that this might include a book – but I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in abstracts, academic book, academic writing, books, early career researchers, journal, publication plan, publishing | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

sustain your writing – find a palate cleanser or ten

Posted on August 31, 2012 by

We all know what a palette cleanser is right? We’re academics so we must have encountered the ubiquitous sorbet either in chilly reality or on one of those food porn tele programmes ? Or we’ve been to a wine tasting … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, books, mental space, palette cleanser, reading, reflection, reward, theory | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

(book) review with A VIEW

Posted on August 24, 2012 by

I was recently asked if I would write something about book reviews. There are some pretty helpful posts already out there about book reviewing and I’ve had a go at the topic before too. So check out: Why write a … Continue reading →

Posted in a view, book review, books | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

be conference savvy and land a book contract

Posted on May 7, 2012 by

Most big conferences are attended by major publishers. They offer their books at discount so it’s a a good place to stock up. Most publishers will also ship books so you don’t have to cart them home in your luggage. … Continue reading →

Posted in academic writing, book proposal, books, coherence, unique selling point | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

can I get a book from my PhD?

Posted on October 22, 2011 by

Well maybe is the answer. Maybe. First of all, all PhDs can generate some refereed journal articles. But not all PhDs have enough in them to become a book. This is because the PhD and a book have to do … Continue reading →

Posted in books, publishing, voice | Tagged | 1 Comment

picking the right publisher for your book

Posted on October 15, 2011 by

Why do you need to think about a publisher? Isn’t it enough to get a book out there? Well – yes and no. There is no point spending a year of your life writing a book if it is not going to reach the … Continue reading →

Posted in books, publishing | 4 Comments