Why turn your thesis into a book?

Seeing your name on the front page of a doorstop-sized thesis is the crowning moment for every doctoral candidate. It’s the result of hard work over many long years. But perhaps you want to see your name on the cover of a book, to know that others (besides your PhD examiners) are reading it, and even citing it. 

After I finished my own PhD, I was servicing a heavy teaching load across multiple casual contracts while being active on the academic job market. I had a strong CV in terms of my experience in teaching and professional service, but I wanted to be known for my research. I realised that I needed to publish a book to set myself apart from the competition and establish my profile on these terms.

Why turn your doctoral thesis into a book

There are several reasons you might choose to publish your thesis as a book. Like me, you might have realised that listing a book on your CV (or even the contracted promise of a book) is the strongest marker of your profile as a leading researcher and thus of landing an academic position. Publishing a book might even boost your confidence to view yourself in this way.

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Publishing your thesis as a book is also a great way to share your research with those who are most likely to cite it: the other researchers working directly in your field. A book represents a significant contribution to the field of scholarship, meaning that your thesis-turned-book will almost certainly form a significant part of any literature review conducted by others working on similar topics. Increased citations will lead to a higher h-index, which measures your productivity and impact; this too will improve your competitiveness on the academic job market.

How to choose a publisher

You should consider whether an academic publisher and an academic readership is the best place for your research. Your research might be better suited to a more general readership, in which case pitching to a non-academic publisher would be more fitting in terms of the style of presentation and the marketing strategy. This pathway will take more work, requiring more revision of your original thesis to reframe the ideas, but it can also mean greater sales and a greater public profile.

Once you’ve made this decision, choose a publisher, or a shortlist of publishers, where you would like your book to end up. They should be known for publishing in your topic area. Your selection might be guided by the presence of a series in which you’d like your book to be included. This can also be a good way to elevate the profile of your book. 

Crafting a compelling book proposal

Now that you have decided where to pitch your book, it’s time to write your proposal. If you entered a three-minute thesis competition during your candidature, draw on these principles to prepare a summary of your book. In other words, what story do you want to tell, and who will want to hear it (and buy it)? How does your book differ from the competition? What are you adding to the field? Know the answers to these questions before you start writing. 

A proposal will typically contain the following: 

• book title (which does not have to be the same as your thesis)
• a blurb
• an overview of the aims and background to your research
• an outline of the book, including chapter titles and an abstract for each chapter
• a list of direct competitors to this book, and an explanation of how your book differs from those
• identification of potential readership audiences, including courses where it might be set as reading. 

You should also identify the anticipated word length and if you’ll need to include images, as this information factors into the publisher’s evaluation of the cost of your project. If your chosen publisher has a proposal template, use it; this enables the acquisition editor to easily identify the information they need.  

Having what is essentially a complete draft manuscript is a strength for the new academic author. Not only does it mean that you are clear on the scope of your book, you also have sample material available. While it’s not required that you send a chapter, providing one does make it easier for an editor to see the originality of your work and your academic voice. 

Although you have this draft in hand, be realistic about the time it will take you to deliver the final manuscript, as publishers will build their planning around these dates. You should also be upfront about the fact that this is a book derived from your thesis, and that it is largely new, unpublished material. 

Finally, the same etiquette applies to sending book proposals as submitting journal articles: only submit to one publisher at a time. 

Preparing your manuscript for submission

Now you are ready to turn your thesis into an entirely new beast. This can take months or even up to a year. Your editor may have specific advice for you based on the peer review reports on your proposal. 

Look at your thesis ruthlessly. What needs to change to make this easy to read? Is your language accessible? Is your use of theory helpful or too dense? Is your argument clear, consistent and signposted throughout? Is the length appropriate (around 65,000-85,000 words)? Do any chapters need to be removed or combined? Cut back on extensive footnotes and on repetitive examples.

The main work I needed to do in revising my own thesis as a book was to reframe the introduction. I pared back a lengthy literature review and theory-heavy methodology, so I could devote the space to an overview of my author’s life and work. This made for a more friendly entry to the topic.

While some publishers will prepare the index for you, others will require you to complete this task. If you have funds, hiring an indexer can save you a lot of time – they are skilled in identifying common topics.

What’s next on your book journey?

Once you submit, your book will be returned to the original peer reviewers for a final review. Then it’s on to production: choosing a cover image and checking the proofs.

Once you’ve been through the book publication process, the next time will be much easier. In fact, you might already be working on the second book before the first is published. And this time, you won’t have the added hurdle of the thesis to get through first. 

Jessica Gildersleeve is professor of English literature at the University of Southern Queensland. She is the author and editor of several books, including the book that was her PhD thesis, Elizabeth Bowen and the Writing of Trauma: The Ethics of Survival (Brill, 2014). She is president of the Australian University Heads of English and series editor for Palgrave Studies in Contemporary Women’s Writing. 

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