Summary
Thinking about turning your PhD into a book?
Using a series of activities, examples and explanations, this step-by-step guide accompanies you through the process, enabling you to plot your own bespoke path to publication.
There are 30 steps, beginning with motivations for writing and ending with publication, recognising that turning your PhD into a book is about more than just writing. It takes a holistic approach, recognising the factors that impact on an early career academic in turning their PhD into a book. This book places you at the centre of the process to engender a sense of authorial agency that will help propel you from postgraduate to author. The book also reflects on the author’s and others’ own experiences, placing the writing process in a wider context.
This is your friendly and indispensable guide to what can feel like an overwhelming task. It is an activity book you can engage with and use as you see fit to help you turn your PhD into your book.
‘This book is practical, friendly in tone, and well attuned to the intellectual, personal and professional challenges of turning a thesis into a monograph – a perfect companion to anyone who is embarking on what is often a daunting next step in their career.’
– Matthew Treherne, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds
‘Transforming a PhD thesis into a compelling monograph can feel overwhelming, but this book is an indispensable guide. It provides useful activities to break down the process with clarity, offering practical advice whilst also encouraging you to refine your voice as a scholar. A must-read for anyone navigating the transition from PhD to publication!’
– Louise Earnshaw, PhD Candidate in German History, Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Humanities, University of Leeds
Using a series of activities, examples and explanations, this step-by-step guide accompanies you through the process, enabling you to plot your own bespoke path to publication.
There are 30 steps, beginning with motivations for writing and ending with publication, recognising that turning your PhD into a book is about more than just writing. It takes a holistic approach, recognising the factors that impact on an early career academic in turning their PhD into a book. This book places you at the centre of the process to engender a sense of authorial agency that will help propel you from postgraduate to author. The book also reflects on the author’s and others’ own experiences, placing the writing process in a wider context.
This is your friendly and indispensable guide to what can feel like an overwhelming task. It is an activity book you can engage with and use as you see fit to help you turn your PhD into your book.
‘This book is practical, friendly in tone, and well attuned to the intellectual, personal and professional challenges of turning a thesis into a monograph – a perfect companion to anyone who is embarking on what is often a daunting next step in their career.’
– Matthew Treherne, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, University of Leeds
‘Transforming a PhD thesis into a compelling monograph can feel overwhelming, but this book is an indispensable guide. It provides useful activities to break down the process with clarity, offering practical advice whilst also encouraging you to refine your voice as a scholar. A must-read for anyone navigating the transition from PhD to publication!’
– Louise Earnshaw, PhD Candidate in German History, Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Humanities, University of Leeds
Excerpt
Table Of Contents
- Cover
- Epigraph
- Halftitle
- Title
- Copyright Page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Preface
- Step-by-Step
- Step 1. Finding reasons to write a book
- Step 2. Planning publications from your PhD
- Step 3. Breaking up with your PhD
- Step 4. Changing your title and why you should
- Step 5. Structuring your book
- Step 6. Identifying your readers
- Step 7. Choosing and approaching a publisher
- Step 8. Writing a proposal
- Step 9. Setting your submission deadline
- Step 10. Understanding publication processes
- Step 11. Costing your publication
- Step 12. Using images in your book
- Step 13. Obtaining permissions on previously published work
- Step 14. Providing translations
- Step 15. Explaining what working on your book means
- Step 16. Identifying obstacles and how to swerve them
- Step 17. Competing demands and how to make use of them
- Step 18. Choosing other projects: when, and why to (not) do them
- Step 19. Keeping a log
- Step 20. Getting back into the book
- Step 21. Identifying the value of involving others
- Step 22. Gauging the size of your bibliography
- Step 23. Writing the acknowledgements
- Step 24. Editing
- Step 25. Submitting your draft and what follows
- Step 26. Handling peer review
- Step 27. Proofreading and indexing
- Step 28. Preparing for publication day
- Step 29. Organising your book launch
- Step 30. Celebrating
- Review and Reflect
- Acknowledgements
- Further Reading
- Index
‘The book, from its first word, stretches out a hand of friendship by opening on a celebratory note, with the one word we all wish to hear as often as possible – Congratulations! The friendship is sustained till the end, by its animated conversational style that makes the reader comfortable and ready to go the entire 30 Steps. By first providing the “reasons to write” the book puts a necessary “why” before delivering its “how” mandate. Engaging the reader through different activities, its holistic approach takes into consideration all the critical aspects a prospective author cannot but deal with, like title, structure, reader, deadline, publisher, indexing, proofreading, review, and even the book launch. Furthermore, the writer/reader active collaboration strengthens that identified friendship, with clearly marked activities.’
For Mark
Details
- Pages
- XIV, 76
- Publication Year
- 2026
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9781803749426
- ISBN (ePUB)
- 9781803749433
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9781803749419
- DOI
- 10.3726/b23556
- Language
- English
- Publication date
- 2026 (April)
- Keywords
- PhD to Book How to Guide Activity Book step-by-step
- Published
- Oxford, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, New York, 2026. xiv, 76 pp., 5 fig. col., 18 fig. b/w, 8 tables.
- Product Safety
- Peter Lang Group AG
