next »

[tt_finally]

uestion:  Given limited time for research/writing and a need for publication, which would be the better use of time?

1.)  Submit a proposal to edit a book in an area of secondary interest.  The odds of acceptance are higher than average for someone with my scanty publishing experience in my field b/c the book has been "scheduled" as part of a series, but the presumed editor backed out.  Not a particularly sexy topic, so not a lot of "competition" for the job. 

2.)  Work on writing articles in areas of strong interest to me--but with much tougher competition in getting them published in venues that really "count" in a tenure file.

A book (even edited) counts more towards tenure in my department than articles would. 

I've had better luck, thus far, with acceptances for papers and articles written based on others' call for papers than with topics of compelling interest to me--though I romantically (and, obviously,naively) cling to the belief that the best work springs from passion for the topic . . .

[englitprof]

I'm not going to pass myself off as an authority here, but my impression from perusing these boards is that an edited collection is generally considered less significant than an article in a major peer-reviewed journal, so if I were you I would want to be absolutely sure on that point before considering editing the book.  Some of this depends on how involved you would actually be--are the contributors lined up already, or would you be choosing those?  Presumably you would be writing the introduction?

At my mostly teaching-oriented but increasingly concerned with research SLAC, an edited volume is weighted the same as a major article.  However, a major article would probably encounter more readers who "matter," i.e. who might be asked to write a tenure letter later on down the line. 

[creationrebel]

And you've got to remember that as editor of a collection, you'll be dealing with between 8 & 10 overworked, flaky (especially if you're in lit studies) academics, whose various understandings of the term "deadline" will have you pulling your hair out.  It's like herding cats on crack.

[whiteknight]

I would *never* volunteer to edit a collection of essays. I just finished the process, and it was more trouble than it was worth.