Publishing Isn’t Just About Volume; It’s Also About Strategy
Chronicle of Education - Editor’s Note: This week’s column from The Professor Is In tackles two questions from readers related to the vicissitudes of early career publishing.
"Question: I just finished Year 1 of my first tenure-track job at a research university. My aim is to get a contract for my first book within the next six months, and I’ve already received initial interest from a few scholarly presses. My question is: How late is too late to get your first book contract on the tenure track? People keep telling me not to worry, and I know a colleague at the end of Year 2 who still doesn’t have a book contract. But I feel I should already have one, and I am concerned.
Kelsky: That’s a good question because publishing isn’t just about volume — it is also about strategy. All stages of publication — past (published work), present (work in the pipeline), or future (work in the planning stages) — make up the optics of your CV and show how hireable or tenurable you are."
For the full article, visit: https://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Professor-Is-In-/246790
Karen Kelsky is founder and president of The Professor Is In, which offers advice and consulting services on the academic job search and on all aspects of the academic and postacademic career. She is a former tenured professor at two universities. Browse an archive of Kelsky’s previous advice columns here.