Faculty Workshops

We offer the following on-site faculty development workshops. All courses are taught by Audra. Please query us for a custom proposal if you don’t see what you’re looking for below!

Today’s Academic Publishing: Strategies for Every Career

This 90-minute workshop, appropriate for early to mid-career scholars, provides faculty participants with skills and strategies to navigate the changing academic publishing landscape. After a 60-minute participatory presentation covering basic aspects of process and expectations for both academic book and journal article publishing, participants will have an opportunity to ask questions. Topics covered include when and what to submit; how to select a journal and/or publisher; what publishers mean by “audience” and “market”; and matching a publishing strategy to one’s career goals. Participants receive two one-page handouts covering various aspects of these topics.

Crossover Books: What, How, and Why

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. The workshop consists of a 60-minute participatory presentation, followed by 30-minutes of Q&A. Participants receive two one-page handouts covering various aspects of these topics.

Demystifying the publishing process for first-time authors

This 90-minute workshop, designed for junior faculty, demystifies the process of converting a dissertation into a book. What do editors mean when they say, “A dissertation is not a book?” When is the right time to submit, and how do you go about approaching potential publishers? A 60-minute participatory presentation covers basic aspects of process and expectations for academic books, and identifies pitfalls all authors should avoid, with the remaining time available for questions. Topics covered include when and what to submit; how to select a publisher; what publishers mean by “audience” and “market”; and matching a publishing strategy to one’s career goals. Participants receive two one-page handouts covering various aspects of these topics.

Costs for all on-site workshops

Excluding travel, any of the above workshops are available for up to 20 participants for $1,000. Please inquire for a quote if you anticipate more than 20 participants or your proposed location is more than 25 miles from Philadelphia. Upon request, the workshop instructor will meet individually with participants to discuss personalized publishing strategies for $175/hour (for instance, you could block out 2 additional hours, with 8 15-minute slots or 4 30-minute slots, for an additional $350.)

To request a workshop, please email Audra.