Faculty Book Publishing Workshop II: Crossover Books: What, How, and Why
Speaker: Dr. Audra Wolfe, editor, publishing consultant, and independent scholar.
Tentative Date /Times: Friday, April 13, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, with 1-1 meetings 2:30 - 4:30pm.
Description You wrote your dissertation on a topic with legs. Or maybe you’ve written one monograph—a good, old-fashioned, tenure book—and want a bigger audience for your next one. Or maybe you’ve been dabbling with op-ed pieces and short features, and you’d like to replicate the rush of connecting with actual, honest-to-God, readers in your next book-length project. Where do you begin? And more importantly, how do you convince editors and agents that you can write beyond your discipline?
This 90-minute workshop, appropriate for faculty at all levels, demystifies the process of envisioning, developing, and pitching ideas for books that can appeal to both scholarly and trade audiences—known to publishers as “crossover books.” Major topics include identifying appropriate topics, approaches, audiences, and presses; whether or not you need an agent; how to write a winning book proposal; and steps all authors can take to generate interest in their books. We’ll also talk about how crossover books differ from more traditional scholarly books and the pros and cons of each approach for authors with academic affiliations. Participants receive two one-page handouts covering various aspects of these topics. One-on-one meetings with the speakers may be requested.
Sign-up is optional but recommended. If you wish to have a one-on-one meeting with Dr. Wolfe, you can indicate that on the sign-up form.
