Publishing popular philosophy books (and a travel book during an international lockdown) - Guest Post by Emily Thomas

This is a guest post by Emily Thomas of the University of Durham.

I recently published a popular book, The Meaning of Travel: Philosophers Abroad. Written partly as a travelogue, it explores philosophical issues around travel, from the Age of Discovery to the present day. I learned a few things from writing it, and I hope describing them might be useful.

 

Why write a popular book?

Not as an easy route to career advancement 

Academic monographs aim at the highest levels of scholarship: diligent, rigorous world-leading research. Although popular monographs can evince a great deal of research and undergo peer review, I assume most do – perhaps even should - fall short of this highest level. The kind of precise, pernickety attention to detail required of the highest scholarship fits awkwardly with works which aim (at least partly) at making ideas accessible and engaging. If you can produce accessible, engaging and world-leading research, then congratulations - you can stop reading now. 

Academics write books for all kinds of reasons. To prove something, explain something, tell a story. Here’s a reason not to write a popular book: to land an academic job or promotion. At least, I believe this is true of countries with established ‘research excellence’ frameworks, such as the UK, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, and Australia. In these contexts (and many others) what matters above all else is publications in leading peer-reviewed journals and academic presses. Universities are not motivated to hire or reward colleagues engaged in other kinds of publishing: popular books are neither ‘essential’ nor ‘desirable’ criteria for academic appointments or promotions.  

 
Philosophers might want to write popular monographs to facilitate public engagement or societal impact. The UK’s 2014 Research Excellence Framework saw case studies built around books by Clare Chambers, Marina Warner, and Robert Macfarlane. However, this involves much more than just writing a book. Publishing is a one-way communication between you and your readers, whereas public engagement or societal impact requires two-way communication. (On alternative ways to achieve impact as an early career scholar, see here and here). 

I would strongly dissuade early career philosophers on the job market from writing popular books. Your time would be far better spent producing rigorous journal articles or academic monographs. On hiring panels I’ve seen popular books treated with disinterest - even suspicion. Committees may ask,  “Is this candidate really a serious philosopher?”

All that said, I think popular books can advance academic careers in less obvious ways. Let’s say you’ve written journal articles defending Theory X. There are advantages to becoming known as the ‘go-to’ philosopher for a theory: you’ll top the list for relevant special issues, edited collections, and conference invitations. Writing a popular book about Theory X is one way to achieve that, although hardly the most obvious one. None of the major scholars in my sub-fields have published popular books.

And, of course, popular books can lead to other things of value. I wrote The Meaning of Travel because I’m obsessed with travelling. I hugely enjoyed the writing process, and its publication has led to fun travel-related things. One of my travel writing heroes, Sara Wheeler, wrote a kind book review - that glow will last for months. I chatted (briefly!) with Bill Bryson. Through newspapers and radio shows, I’ve met many wonderful people - travellers, philosophers, writers.

 

Pitching a popular book

            Two kinds of presses publish popular philosophy books: academic trade presses, such as OUP Trade, Bloomsbury, or Routledge; and traditional trade presses, such as Penguin, Random House, or HarperCollins. Once you have an idea for a popular book, you could write up a proposal - there’s plenty of online advice for writing non-fiction proposals. Alternatively, you could write a sample chapter, and brief book synopsis. With this material in hand, you can approach academic trade presses directly. Or, you can approach agents who can approach traditional trade presses. I’m told it’s tough to approach regular trade presses without an agent. For the reasons given here, I would beware self-publishing. 

 

To identify potential agents, I suggest finding out who represents authors of non-fiction books in the same genre as yours. Then check agents’ websites for advice on approaching them. In the first instance, agents might ask for a short pitch and biography. I found that my academic credentials came in useful at this stage: nobody doubted my philosophical expertise. As agents will likely Google you, a professional online presence is desirable: a straightforward website, perhaps a public Twitter account, and a couple of popular philosophy articles.             

 

Once you’ve secured a publishing contract, read it carefully. If you’re unsure about anything, ask. 

 

Planning, writing, and promoting popular books

I found planning a popular book the same as planning an academic book. I had a central idea, researched it, made chapter plans. As I began writing, the chapters evolved, and the plans fluttered out the window.

However, I found the style of popular writing utterly unlike academic writing. My scholarship aims at dry precision, a style unlikely to engage non-philosophers. Fortunately, the world offers buckets of advice on improving writing. I recommend Joseph Williams’ Style: Toward Clarity and Grace, which explains how style choices make writing easier to read. Writing for academic-friendly venues like The Conversation has also been helpful: the editors ruthlessly cut jargon and waffle. If your university runs non-fiction writing courses, attend them. Although you’re likely to hear the same advice repeatedly (Avoid passive voice! Shorten sentences!) I would soak up as much as you can. If possible, join a non-fiction writing group, and find some constructively critical readers.

Let’s fast forward. You’ve secured a publisher, drafted the book. As with an academic book, the press will request revisions, which you’ll make; you’ll correct proofs; you’ll debate the cover image. 

Now the process diverges from publishing academic books. Publishers really want popular books to sell. They may attempt to secure book endorsements or reviews. They will expect you to promote the book, through social media, media interviews, or book festivals. Publishers may offer you lots of marketing support, or none. Even with publicity, non-fiction books rarely sell well: publishers often consider sales of 4,000 copies a win. If a copy costs £10-15, that might net the author £4,000. This sounds princely, until you remember that the book took two years to write. (For more on money in publishing, see here and here). Write a book because you want to, not to get rich.

 

Publishing a travel book during an international lockdown 

A brief coda. The Meaning of Travel came out in the UK on February 27th. Nineteen days later, the Covid-19 crisis had escalated so far that the UK Foreign Office began advising against all but essential international travel. Appropriately, my book is due to come out in the US on April Fool’s Day. The book was written in a world of widespread travel, but it’s been published in an alien one - perhaps a world of armchair travel. Whatever happens, travel will take on fresh meaning. The cliché, “Expect the unexpected”, is true of all things, including books.

 

Final tips

- Before starting out, ask the people around you for all the advice you can get

- Read popular books in the same genre as your book idea: imitate what works, ditch what doesn’t  

- Like all writers, sign up to the ALCS

- Advice on popular science writing carries over especially well to popular philosophy writing

- Avoid clichés

 

Emily Thomas is Associate Professor in Philosophy at Durham University, and Honorary Fellow at the ACU Dianoia Institute of Philosophy. She is the author of Absolute Time: Rifts in Early Modern British Metaphysics, and The Meaning of Travel: Philosophers Abroad.

Comments

[Mike Austin]

Dr. Thomas is right, if you are at an early stage of your career as a philosopher, it is generally unwise to invest time and energy into a popular work. But this should be changed. Surely we can come up with ways to evaluate the quality of popular works, and include that in the tenure and promotion process. Of course, I'm assuming that the suspicion towards such works is unwarranted. And it is.

[Thomas]

I really liked this post. I had been inspiring myself by traveling and wrote. Unfortunately, lockdowns are stopped traveling.