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William Germano
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From Dissertation to Book (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) Second Edition, Kindle Edition

by William Germano (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 out of 5 stars 164 ratings
How to transform a thesis into a publishable work that can engage audiences beyond the academic committee.

When a dissertation crosses my desk, I usually want to grab it by its metaphorical lapels and give it a good shake. “You know something!” I would say if it could hear me. “Now tell it to us in language we can understand!”

Since its publication in 2005, From Dissertation to Book has helped thousands of young academic authors get their books beyond the thesis committee and into the hands of interested publishers and general readers. Now revised and updated to reflect the evolution of scholarly publishing, this edition includes a new chapter arguing that the future of academic writing is in the hands of young scholars who must create work that meets the broader expectations of readers rather than the narrow requirements of academic committees.

At the heart of From Dissertation to Book is the idea that revising the dissertation is fundamentally a process of shifting its focus from the concerns of a narrow audience—a committee or advisors—to those of a broader scholarly audience that wants writing to be both informative and engaging. William Germano offers clear guidance on how to do this, with advice on such topics as rethinking the table of contents, taming runaway footnotes, shaping chapter length, and confronting the limitations of jargon, alongside helpful timetables for light or heavy revision.

Germano draws on his years of experience in both academia and publishing to show writers how to turn a dissertation into a book that an audience will actually enjoy, whether reading on a page or a screen. He also acknowledges that not all dissertations can or even should become books and explores other, often overlooked, options, such as turning them into journal articles or chapters in an edited work. With clear directions, engaging examples, and an eye for the idiosyncrasies of academic writing, he reveals to recent PhDs the secrets of careful and thoughtful revision—a skill that will be truly invaluable as they add “author” to their curriculum vitae.
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  1. ISBN-13
    978-0226062181
  2. Edition
    Second
  3. Publisher
    The University of Chicago Press
  4. Publication date
    February 27, 2014
  5. Part of series
    Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    4.1 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"You wrote your thesis, you earned your PhD degree. Now you have to publish your paper to advance your academic career. Although publishing is a must for professors (particularly those seeking tenure), it is not a straightforward process. . . . William Germano’s aim with From Dissertation to Book is to help academics understand why their work might be rejected by publishers and how to make it more attractive to them." ― Publishing Research Quarterly

About the Author


William Germano is the author of several books, including Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books and From Dissertation to Book, both also published by the University of Chicago Press. His most recent book, co-written with Kit Nicholls, is Syllabus: The Remarkable, Unremarkable Document That Changes Everything. He has served as editor-in-chief at Columbia University Press, vice president and publishing director at Routledge, and dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, where he is now professor of English literature. 
 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00IPBWB8U
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The University of Chicago Press; Second edition (February 27, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 27, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 179 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 164 ratings

About the author

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William Germano

William Germano

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William Germano is professor of English literature at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, where he has also served as dean of the faculty of humanities and social sciences. Previously, he was vice-president and publishing director at Routledge and editor-in-chief at Columbia University Press.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
164 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book to be a great resource, particularly noting it as a guidebook for recent PhDs. Moreover, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with customers describing it as well-written, easy to read, and clear.

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21 customers mention "Advice"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book helpful and informative, particularly noting it as a great resource for recent PhDs.

"...about how to find and contact a publisher, this is a great book for anyone who just finished a dissertation and would like to capitalize on the 10..." Read more

"...Nevertheless, I gleaned many helpful ideas for my project. Others might also be helped." Read more

"...The work itself is a good guide to thinking about the process of revision as newly-minted PhDs reexamine their dissertations." Read more

"...Well written, clear, and honest. You wont find better advice." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing quality"9 positive3 negative

Customers find the book well written and easy to read, with one customer noting its refreshing approach to scholarly writing.

"...It even manages to be humorous and consequently easy to read." Read more

"...Well written, clear, and honest. You wont find better advice." Read more

"...No easy methods or quick formulas, but good advice." Read more

"...then this book gives you the basics in one, easy to read, place...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Carol L. Navarrete
    5.0 out of 5 stars Things you never thought of that would get your submission rejected
    Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Although I would have appreciated more information about how to find and contact a publisher, this is a great book for anyone who just finished a dissertation and would like to capitalize on the 10 year effort. It's worth the money since it gives insightful directions on how to write for a greater audience than your committee. It even manages to be humorous and consequently easy to read.
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  • Dr. Rodney L. Graves
    5.0 out of 5 stars Check Sample of Book and Decide- It Could be a GEM
    Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This resource had many great practical points. Although it seems more specific for someone who wrote a dissertation and wants it published, it also will work for others like me. I wrote a dissertation and am writing a book based on it; however, it will not be as scholarly as the dissertation—this resource is catered to dissertations that will become books with the same scholarly context. Nevertheless, I gleaned many helpful ideas for my project. Others might also be helped.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • RDD
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good for Thinking About the Future of One's Dissertation
    Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    William Germano’s “From Dissertation to Book” serves as a guidebook for recent PhDs trying to figure out what to do next. While many dissertation committees tell post-defense PhDs that their dissertations are the making of a book, few explain how to turn the former into the latter. A former editor, Germano worked with many in the process of revising. He cautions, “Turning a dissertation into a book manuscript is one option facing the recent PhD. But it isn’t the only one. A dissertation can become many things – a single scholarly article, a handful of them, a specialized monograph, a broader scholarly work, a trade book, even the seeds of two or more distinct projects that could occupy the author for decades” (pg. 6). In that, he works to help writers make a decision on the future of their dissertation, specifically with an eye to revising the manuscript. Key to the process is knowledge of the author’s intended audience (pgs. 29, 61, 69). From there, Germano discusses the importance of the manuscript’s structure and the author’s voice: two points that differ between dissertations and books. The work itself is a good guide to thinking about the process of revision as newly-minted PhDs reexamine their dissertations.
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  • amy
    5.0 out of 5 stars but he also does a great job layong out exactly what you need to do
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    As a book editor, William Germano is not an extremely knowledgable on this subject, but he also does a great job layong out exactly what you need to do. Well written, clear, and honest. You wont find better advice.
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  • Justin Shaw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Worthwhile Book
    Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    What a terrific little book for those in the revising stage of the dissertation, and particularly those who've just completed it. It's also probably worthwhile to look at if you're almost done with your dissertation and are wondering about how to proceed. If any of that applies to you, then add this to your collection!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Amy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Basic, easy to read information
    Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    There were a few decent points but mostly this book contained information that I already found online. If you aren't the researching type (which would be surprising if you just finished your dissertation), then this book gives you the basics in one, easy to read, place. If you've already done research on how to turn your dissertation into a book and are looking for a deeper level of info, this is not it.
    8 people found this helpful
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  • History Doc
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very Helpful
    Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The information in this book is very basic and helpful for recent graduates looking to find a path to share their work and research with a broader audience.
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  • DocD
    4.0 out of 5 stars No easy methods or quick formulas
    Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    A basic book for the recent PhD grad who wants to transform a thesis into a book. No easy methods or quick formulas, but good advice.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Naveen Kumar
    5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent practical guide
    Reviewed in India on April 24, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    The book made me realize that most dissertations, especially in science do not merit publication (and why) as a book . The book systematically teaches, how to write a book proposal emanating from a thesis, and gives practical guidelines on transforming the thesis into a book. The author gives a rule of thumb that if the reorganization and revision are likely to take more than a year, perhaps it is not a brilliant idea to transform thesis to book form. Maybe it is best to have some journal publications and work on a different project​.
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  • Dr Leah Phillips
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for EVERY newly minted PhD
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Germano's book has given me serious scope for approaching the transformation of my thesis into manuscript. A note on the text, there's an American slant - dissertation is used, where the UK would use thesis.

    More, From Dissertation to Book is chaging the way I write. Full. Stop. I'm thinking about clariety and precision more. I'm focusing on the best cadence of an argument. It's such a fantastic book. I definitely recommend it to every newly minted PhD (and a few of my friends will be getting copies to celebrate their soon-to-be-compelted status). But, I'd also reccomend it to those starting out... the insight into the "end game" would've benefitted me in those early years.
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  • Jason Cuthbert
    5.0 out of 5 stars This is exactly what I wanted.
    Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    This book came in fantastic condition.
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  • Dr Meenakshi Sarkar
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not helpful for me
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Had heard good things about this but this is not something which I found useful
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on October 26, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Super useful text!
    Report

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