Previous "Page Proof" Columns

Visions and Revisions

Is it better to revise your first draft, or junk it and start over?

Reading and Reviewing

To those of you with other people's manuscripts sitting on your desk, get to them soon or give them back.

Did You Publish Today?

As academics, we often don't look like we're working because many of the people around us don't understand what it looks like to do intellectual work.

The 'So What?' Problem

Books on narrow topics aren't going to get published unless academic authors can explain why their work matters.

Goodbye to All That

Often the kindest thing you can tell a Ph.D. is to put the dissertation in a desk drawer, and move on.

The Writing Date

It's easy to lose yourself in the research and never get around to actually putting words down on paper.

Creating Nonfiction

Why does it seem like the only time undergraduates encounter 'literary nonfiction' is in composition courses?

Love to Write? Keep It to Yourself

If it's a joy to express your thoughts on the page, bully for you; but for this writer, it's hard work.

Reject!

A former editor in scholarly publishing helps decode manuscript-rejection letters.

The Care and Feeding of the Reader

Too many books by academics are nothing more than data dumps.

My Left Tackle

Though it can be bruising, having the fluff knocked out of your writing is not a bad thing.

No Bad Authors

Reasonableness is one of the first things to go when we toil to put our hearts and minds on the printed page.

The Nature of Foul Matter

In a new monthly column, Rachel Toor explores the writing and publishing process in academe.