So, you want to turn your dissertation into a book? Or, perhaps you want to write your first academic book on an entirely different subject. Unless you are famous and have publishers soliciting manuscripts from you, you likely will have to submit a formal academic book proposal to an academic press to have a hope of publishing a book with such a press. Here Tanya Golash-Boza provides generic suggestions for what should go in an academic book proposal.

1. 7 Basic
Components of a
Book Proposal for
an Academic Press
Tips from Tanya Golash-Boza
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

2. #1
 A one-page description of the book.
The most important aspect of this one-page
description is the argument you will set forth. Here
is one example of how to do this:
 Paragraph 1: Hook – Invite the reader into your
proposal with an interesting anecdote or some
surprising data.
 Paragraph 2: State your central argument. Back it up
with a few sentences.
 Paragraph 3: State the contribution to scholarship
and place in the literature.
 Paragraph 4: Provide a brief roadmap to the book.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

3. #2
 A descriptive table of contents. Dedicate
one paragraph to each chapter. Give the title of the
chapter and provide a three to four sentence
summary of the chapter.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

4. #3
 A mechanical description of the final
manuscript. Here you say that the estimated
length of the final manuscript will be anywhere from
70,000 to 150,000 words. More or less may raise
eyebrows. You also should specify how many
illustrations and/or tables you anticipate.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

5. #4
 A description of the audience for your
book. Tell the editor who you expect to purchase
your book. Will it be read only in your field, or also
in other disciplines? Will undergraduates be able to
understand your book? Or, is it solely directed at
faculty and graduate students? Could it be used in
undergraduate or graduate courses? If so, explain
which ones.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

6. #5
 Describe the competition. What are the
existing books in your field? How will your book
stand out from these? Do you use a different
methodology or approach? Is yours designed for a
different audience? If any of the competing books
you mention are quite similar to your own, spend a
few sentences explaining how yours is distinct.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

7. #6
 How far along are you? Do you have a
complete manuscript? If you do, say so. If not,
say how many chapters you have completed, and
provide an expected date of completion. If this is
your first academic book, I discourage you from
sending a proposal before you are certain you will
finish the book within a year. If the publisher
requires a complete manuscript, you likely want to
be less than six months away from completion
before sending the proposal.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

8. #7
 Who might review your book? You can
provide the names and contact information of
people who you think might be appropriate readers
for your book.
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)

9. Repurposed with
permission from Tanya
Golash-Boza’s blog, Get
a Life, PhD: Succeed in
Academia and Have a
Life Too
® 2014 Text and Academic Authors
Association (TAA)