Writing Like a Teacher
In the past few years we have seen an explosion of misinformation and spin about topics that are vital to human flourishing: vaccines, climate change, international conflict, gender norms. One effective remedy for this unhappy trend would be for academics to do a better job of communicating their research and ideas to the public. The careful thinking that we do in the academic world needs to find a wider audience—one that extends beyond our classrooms and disciplinary journals and conventions.
The work emerging from higher education laboratories, seminars, and libraries could make a positive impact on our society and the globe, but too often that research either speaks to specialized audiences or is translated poorly by journalists. We need academics who can take their expertise and passion to the public, effective writers with the knowledge of the publishing process that will enable them to navigate it successfully. Writing Like a Teacher: Expanding the Audience for Your Nonfiction Writing aims to provide ambitious academics with the information and encouragement they need to expand the audience for their work through the publication of trade books and popular essays—and then how to grow their audiences even further by building a platform for their writing on social media, in newsletters, podcasts, and more.
Writing Like a Teacher will be firmly grounded in my own experiences of writing for a wider public in three ways: authoring books for both university and trade presses, building a platform for my work on social media and in popular newspapers and magazines, and serving as a series editor at a university press. But the recommendations made in the book will rest on a wider foundation, as I will draw insights from interviews with editors at a variety of presses and publications, from literary agents, and from authors who have written successful trade books and popular essays and created wide-reaching platforms.
The unique perspective I will bring to this subject connects my experience as an expert in teaching with my longstanding practice as a writer: I will argue that taking our work to a wider audience is essentially a form of teaching, and we can draw from research on teaching and learning to understand how to educate the public on our research most effectively. I have long recognized in my own writing and from my editorial work that successful books are the print equivalents of successful courses, and use deliberate strategies to capture and sustain an audience, get them thinking and wondering, and inspire them to action.
The first part of Writing Like a Teacher will present the core argument of the book, on writing successfully for the public by thinking like a teacher. The chapters of Part One will all offer a brief introduction to an educational principle or idea, one that faculty members should be able to recognize from their experiences in the classroom. It will then offer practical recommendations for how that educational principle can be translated into book or essay form. I will draw examples generously from the work of highly successfully nonfiction books and essays from academic authors and teachers, providing readers with plenty of exemplary models.
The second part of the book focuses on the practicalities of finding publishers for trade books and popular essays, and then helping to ensure they reach as many readers as possible. The first three chapters of Part Two will guide readers through the practical process of publishing trade books and popular essays, from inquiry to finished product. The final three chapters will make practical recommendations for expanding one’s audience by creating a platform through social media, speaking and interviewing, and other creative strategies for growing an audience. Throughout Part Two I will be drawing upon the collective wisdom of editors, agents, and writers that I interview for the book, as well as from my own experiences in serving as a book series editor and building the platform for my own work.
In May of 2022 I will begin offering presentations and workshops on this material for faculty or for general writing groups that are focused on publishing nonfiction writing. The first of these workshops will be sponsored by Defend and Publish, and will take place on Wednesday, May 18th from 12:00-3:00 pm. Registration is open. If you are a faculty development leader or the convener of a writing group or the organizer of a writing conference, don’t hesitate to reach out to learn more.