This week we have some really useful tips on how to publish your thesis from Palgrave Macmillan Publishing.
Palgrave Macmillan is a global academic publisher, part of the Macmillan Group, with strengths in the social sciences, humanities, and business. We publish textbooks, monographs, and trade books on an international scale.
Here are some insider publishing tips for prospective authors looking to publish their PhD thesis with us:
1.) Attend major conferences in your field and meet editors in person to discuss your ideas for publishing a book and receive some first feedback. Make sure your topic fits in with current events and debates and is of interest to a broad readership.
2.) Prospective authors should bear in mind that a PhD thesis needs intensive re-working and re-writing in order to be published as a monograph on our list. So, don’t start out with a lengthy literature review as most readers and experts in your field will have already read those same books!
3.) In order to consider your proposal for publication, please include the following documents in your query. Electronic enquiries welcome!
a.) Palgrave Proposal Form (can be found on www.palgrave.com) with a clear outline of chapters – a table of contents is not sufficient information
b.) 2 fully revised sample chapters (please ask us about our guidelines on how to transform a PhD into a book)
c.) Full CV to demonstrate your credentials and a clear academic career path, previous publications, and attendance at major conferences in your field
d.)External Examiners’ Reports, if available
4.) When submitting your book proposal, do some first brainstorming on how your book can be marketed and sold in a competitive arena:
a.) Market/Audience – who will read your book?
b.) Competition – what other books are already out there? Be aware of competing titles because why publish in an area that no-one is interested in writing about?
c.) Sales Hooks – how is my research/book special?
d.) Placement – how does it fit on our list, book series or with related Palgrave titles?
5.) What comes next? Once you have submitted your proposal to Palgrave, your project will undergo the following four steps:
a.) Initial comments from Editor
b.) Review process
c.) Revisions
d.) Contract offer, if appropriate
ed said on March 9, 2016
sound advice. I have one question. I recently gave a talk for which I read a chapter of my thesis. I’ve now been asked to publish the talk in an anthology. will this jeopardize the chances of my PhD being published?
Charlotte Frost said on March 11, 2016
No it won’t. Most publishers will be fine if one or two chapters exist elsewhere, just make sure you are up front about it when you pitch the book. If anything, it shows them there’s an interest in your work.