tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post211076471712454084..comments2024-01-28T03:35:51.182-05:00Comments on Reassigned Time: By Request: From Dissertation to BookDr. Crazyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-37689404009315896832007-03-02T16:54:00.000-05:002007-03-02T16:54:00.000-05:00Thanks for this very helpful post. I'm taking thi...Thanks for this very helpful post. I'm taking this academic year away from the diss, but I really want to spend the summer working on it as a book manuscript. Your story gives me hope that I might have a realistic plan!<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the book references as well!Monhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07298264911822044959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-724629884929124952007-02-26T01:26:00.000-05:002007-02-26T01:26:00.000-05:00Excellent post! I have some (somewhat belated) th...Excellent post! I have some (somewhat belated) thoughts on this topic, posted here: <A HREF="http://jbj.wordherders.net/archives/006797.html" REL="nofollow">http://jbj.wordherders.net/archives/006797.html</A>.Jason B. Joneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16215925236220297678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-10523363865854195692007-02-23T20:23:00.000-05:002007-02-23T20:23:00.000-05:00Rachel said:"What I actually meant was more like f...Rachel said:<BR/><BR/>"What I actually meant was more like finding it stupefying that you wrote 75% of a diss in 3 months." <BR/><BR/>and then Terri said:<BR/><BR/>"indeed, if i boiled down the time i actually was WRITING stuff it would probably be just a few months!"<BR/><BR/>I wrote most of mine in two months (long story short, didn't get any t-t offers that I wanted to take, so thought I'd stay in graduate school another year, then got an offer I DID want to take, so had to hustle). Actually, most of my friends did the same thing: wrote most of it -- having already done all the background reading and research over a period of 2-4 years in the coursework and prelims processes -- in two or three months.Clancyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05750970388695552373noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-40268948549711825742007-02-22T02:27:00.000-05:002007-02-22T02:27:00.000-05:00Oso Raro: If you send me an email, I'd be happy t...Oso Raro: If you send me an email, I'd be happy to share my proposal (such as it is) with you, if you need a model for such a thing.Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-16051652587818937722007-02-21T23:21:00.000-05:002007-02-21T23:21:00.000-05:00Felicidades Mamita! Mr. Gordo and I just got into ...Felicidades Mamita! Mr. Gordo and I just got into a horrible row last night on the phone about my once and future book proposal. Him: You're not doing the important work (i.e. writing and publishing), Me: Yes, I am (committees and meetings and teaching count here more than at an R1). But on one hand he is right (I actually originally spelled this "write" LOL). I am more than 5 years beyond the thesis and really would like to get it out of my life forever. But what Mr. Gordo doesn't know is that it really needs to be done by the end of the semester, as that was my one listed scholarly project for the Dean back at the beginning of the year. I have had a draft proposal for over two years, but the procrastination is both luscious and horrible. One way or another, it should be sailing into the sunset by the end of March, ojala!<BR/><BR/>And for the record, I wrote my entire thesis, from beginning to end, in six months. And it is pretty fierce (altho the final chapter needs revision), even if I must say so myself (since nobody has ever read it as a book, although some have purchased it from that Dissertation repository thingy haha). People work at different paces and on different time lines. A thesis is sometimes made with 5 years of constant numbing backbreaking work, and other times with a burst of manic, crazy, Dean-threatened energy (my case).Oso Rarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11345231159759787852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-34020813635049223912007-02-21T19:37:00.000-05:002007-02-21T19:37:00.000-05:00Thank you so much for posting about this!! I know...Thank you so much for posting about this!! I know that a lot of us out there are starving for practical information regarding this aspect of our profession.k8https://www.blogger.com/profile/07547334819703279971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-15190080424409353792007-02-21T16:18:00.000-05:002007-02-21T16:18:00.000-05:00Hey Dr. Crazy, I'm going to do a follow-up post fi...Hey Dr. Crazy, I'm going to do a follow-up post first chance I get, but it may not be until tomorrow. My experience is actually weirdly similar to yours, but there are enough differences to make it worth my telling my narrative, too.<BR/><BR/>And yeah, I had an "advance contract," too -- the "we want your book, but we retain the right to turn it down after all if the reader says it's not as good as we thought it would be" kind. They seem to be getting more common.Dr. Viragohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03960384082670286328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-62746597397342147192007-02-21T14:36:00.000-05:002007-02-21T14:36:00.000-05:00i was going to ask rachel's question, I think, or ...i was going to ask rachel's question, I think, or something like it. something along the lines of, what do you mean you wrote 75% of it in 3 months?? Gah! your timeline including research and revision makes sense, though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-48064310868478752992007-02-21T12:43:00.000-05:002007-02-21T12:43:00.000-05:00no need to explain--i totally get what you are say...no need to explain--i totally get what you are saying. indeed, if i boiled down the time i actually was WRITING stuff it would probably be just a few months! and yes, the average in my discipline, (a sister to yours) Spanish lit, is probably more than three years. <BR/><BR/>were you able to see that link i put up? i'm wondering if the password thing will prevent sharing.Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16918286498766351046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-15490308136222419022007-02-21T12:14:00.000-05:002007-02-21T12:14:00.000-05:00Again, I'm talking just about getting a beginning,...Again, I'm talking just about getting a beginning, middle, and end to each chapter. I'm not talking about the research part of it (I tend to like to do the bulk of the research before I begin actually writing) and I'm not talking about the revising part of it (which, as I said, took a year, because I need many drafts to make something that doesn't suck). So the thing is, while what I did was insane, the process of dissertating actually took me about 2 1/2 years. In English, I think that's actually pretty good - I've got friends who took like 4 or 5 years after becoming ABD - but don't think that I just did everything in three months - not so at all.Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-78038209707039354822007-02-21T12:13:00.000-05:002007-02-21T12:13:00.000-05:00For the record, I took three years to write the di...For the record, I took three years to write the diss. I started a TT job with only one chapter done and then struggled to keep momentum. It wasn't until I had a baby that I managed to finally get the thig done--sort of saw it in a new perspective (like: finish-it-or-you-will-lose-your-job perspective) <BR/><BR/>Here is a link to a chronicle article relevant to discussion on book contracts, titled "What are Book Editors Looking For?--I found it very useful. <BR/><BR/>http://chronicle.com/weekly/v52/i46/46c00101.htmTerrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16918286498766351046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-41126234259894394752007-02-21T12:06:00.000-05:002007-02-21T12:06:00.000-05:00"mystifying" isn't the right word, really, but I l..."mystifying" isn't the right word, really, but I liked the proximity to "demystify." What I actually meant was more like finding it stupefying that you wrote 75% of a diss in 3 months. And that you presented it as though that fact is not sort of staggering to begin with. But I will totally concede that the time it is taking me and literally everyone around me (1.5 - 3 years) shouldn't be, and likely isn't, the norm.rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03661758864073290419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-39023032547845883832007-02-21T11:06:00.000-05:002007-02-21T11:06:00.000-05:00What wwwMama said. Obviously they aren't going to...What wwwMama said. Obviously they aren't going to lock themselves into something without seeing the whole thing, but at least from what I know of friends who have gone through this process, the more common thing seems to be for them to ask for a completed manuscript prior to giving a contract. But yes - this is about locking me in so that I can't continue shopping while they're considering it for sure.Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-34987611367600299912007-02-21T10:35:00.000-05:002007-02-21T10:35:00.000-05:00Great post. Thank you for always being so generous...Great post. Thank you for always being so generous and practical with your advice, and I find the narratives helpful too. <BR/>I too have heard (direct from a publisher, no less, who took pity on my complete naivete to fill me in) that sometimes they'll give a contract that gives you the go ahead but also makes it pretty easy for them to back out if they want. Now, in my example, we were dealing with an edited collection, and these types of contracts help give the editor some muscle to get the contributors to finish their promised articles--and the publisher can back out if the end result doesn't look as polished as advertised. My instinct is that with monographs, they want to lock you in with them so no-one else can get to you first. Yes, they still have an out, but they're not going to invest time and energy into you if they're not seriously interested.<BR/>Congratulations!!wwwmamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00854956255179637714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-63387945695003135662007-02-21T09:23:00.000-05:002007-02-21T09:23:00.000-05:00Didn't mean to imply your contract wasn't "actual"...Didn't mean to imply your contract wasn't "actual"...just that two types of contracts, at two different stages of the game, occur. I think that provision you're talking about is probably what my diss director referred to. Based on your comments about the big unteachable novel (not remembering your precise term), I think we might be in overlapping fields :) Again, congrats!gwinnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840990153103781272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-30008397902074582512007-02-21T09:12:00.000-05:002007-02-21T09:12:00.000-05:00Gwinne,Ok, here's the deal as I understand it. It...Gwinne,<BR/>Ok, here's the deal as I understand it. It's not a contract to be considered for a contract for publication later down the road. It is an actual contract. It's just that there is a provision in it for them to back out if the manuscript does not meet their expectations. At least that's what the editor said in his email, so I'm going with that. :)Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-65791942582883202052007-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:002007-02-21T09:00:00.000-05:00Dr C, congrats on the contract--that's truly aweso...Dr C, congrats on the contract--that's truly awesome. I might have misunderstood, but my dissertation director and others in my department intimated that there were two "kinds" of book contracts. One, of the sort that you got (I think), which is a sort of contract for consideration of a contract. And, two, a contract based on a finished book manuscript that's been reviewed in its entirety. In practical terms, it's unclear to me whether it actually matters or if it's just the *having* any kind of contract that matters. Perhaps someone with more publishing experience will weigh in on this? Regardless, what fabulous February news!gwinnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04840990153103781272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-85813058333760627212007-02-21T08:35:00.000-05:002007-02-21T08:35:00.000-05:00What about is mystifying? I'd be happy to clarify...What about is mystifying? I'd be happy to clarify. Let's say my diss had four chapters. I wrote one chapter, and then I had about 4 months of writer's block. I moved back in with my parents, and I wrote drafts of the other three chapters, plus a brief preface and epilogue. In this, I'm talking about the time that it took actually to write. Most of my research was done (though obviously I had to consult sources and things, but I had compiled a 3-ince 3-ring binder of notes and many xeroxes of journal articles that I'd read prior to the writing part of things). The draft that resulted was complete draft but it was rough. It took me a year and about 3 full revisions to turn it into the dissertation that I defended. <BR/><BR/>Is that less mystifying? If not, what do you want to know?Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-66375519423090042102007-02-21T07:13:00.000-05:002007-02-21T07:13:00.000-05:00I appreciate the intent of demystification, but I ...I appreciate the intent of demystification, but I find this bit - "I wrote 75% of the dissertation draft over a three month period" - mystifying in the extreme.rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03661758864073290419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-40006225292425190592007-02-21T04:37:00.000-05:002007-02-21T04:37:00.000-05:00Sisyphus,Drop me an email. I'm probably NOT atten...Sisyphus,<BR/>Drop me an email. I'm probably NOT attending the conference you're thinking of, but if I'm thinking of the same one that you're thinking of, then I might be attending another that is of a similar ilk in a few months? See, this is why you need to email me, for this sort of speculation is silly :)Dr. Crazyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12457967076373916629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-2840871508505834452007-02-21T03:57:00.000-05:002007-02-21T03:57:00.000-05:00Thanks for posting about this. I've been thinking...Thanks for posting about this. I've been thinking about turning my diss into a book and I'm not even done writing it yet. That's good advice to remember the diss is not the same as the book!Field Noteshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18372584643389870376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-6378434831621236922007-02-21T02:02:00.000-05:002007-02-21T02:02:00.000-05:00Hey, Dr. Crazy --- there's an upcoming conference ...Hey, Dr. Crazy --- there's an upcoming conference to happen soon near you; are you going?Sisyphushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09880634753539329199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20099192.post-74806854235078489212007-02-20T23:12:00.000-05:002007-02-20T23:12:00.000-05:00Thank you Dr. Crazy. I can't tell you how much I ...Thank you Dr. Crazy. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your willingness to demystify this process.Terrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16918286498766351046noreply@blogger.com