Willemina Don, editor
@donediting.bsky.social
Academic developmental editor and translator (FR->EN and NL->EN). Humanities and qualitative social sciences. PhD in French. www.donlanguageservices.com
You have an academic manuscript (almost) ready to send out, but now it needs a title... Such great research-based advice from @katelynknox.bsky.social here: dissertationtobook.com/titles/
How to Title Your Academic Book: Lessons from 188 Monographs
Many authors are told their academic book title needs work, but not how to fix it. Write a strong monograph title, based on lessons from 188 books.
dissertationtobook.com
November 6, 2025 at 5:38 PM
You have an academic manuscript (almost) ready to send out, but now it needs a title... Such great research-based advice from @katelynknox.bsky.social here: dissertationtobook.com/titles/
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
The #1 lesson from yesterday’s blowout:
Humanities majors killed on the job market
1) Mamdani- Africana Studies
2) Spanberger -French
3) Sherill - Global History
Humanities majors killed on the job market
1) Mamdani- Africana Studies
2) Spanberger -French
3) Sherill - Global History
November 5, 2025 at 3:59 PM
The #1 lesson from yesterday’s blowout:
Humanities majors killed on the job market
1) Mamdani- Africana Studies
2) Spanberger -French
3) Sherill - Global History
Humanities majors killed on the job market
1) Mamdani- Africana Studies
2) Spanberger -French
3) Sherill - Global History
it's job application season in academia. If you need last-minute developmental editing to get your humanities sample chapter or research proposal in order, I have some room in my schedule. I offer discounts for self-pay and grad students. #academicsky
October 25, 2025 at 6:50 PM
it's job application season in academia. If you need last-minute developmental editing to get your humanities sample chapter or research proposal in order, I have some room in my schedule. I offer discounts for self-pay and grad students. #academicsky
Oh the cursed day hath come where I'm forced to upgrade to Windows 11 (with co-pilot! as if that's an advantage). Except my existing PC (that works just fine!) has been determined incapable of handling it so I guess I need a new one of those too, pronto.
September 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Oh the cursed day hath come where I'm forced to upgrade to Windows 11 (with co-pilot! as if that's an advantage). Except my existing PC (that works just fine!) has been determined incapable of handling it so I guess I need a new one of those too, pronto.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
All are invited to the first in Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series, "Turning Your Dissertation into a Book," Oct 9 at 1pm ET. Organized by our Faculty Outreach Committee with the Rutgers Ctr for Minority Serving Institutions.
Register here: https://buff.ly/UiOAr5M
Register here: https://buff.ly/UiOAr5M
September 22, 2025 at 7:15 PM
All are invited to the first in Publishing with University Presses Webinar Series, "Turning Your Dissertation into a Book," Oct 9 at 1pm ET. Organized by our Faculty Outreach Committee with the Rutgers Ctr for Minority Serving Institutions.
Register here: https://buff.ly/UiOAr5M
Register here: https://buff.ly/UiOAr5M
This looks like a wonderful resource as you are navigating the process of publishing your first book. And it's free!
Please share this upcoming webinar series with anyone you know who is working or will soon be working on their first academic book!
ideasonfire.net/first-book-p...
ideasonfire.net/first-book-p...
Ideas on Fire First Book Publishing Series
Our free webinar series guiding authors through critical stages of the academic publishing journey for first books.
ideasonfire.net
September 12, 2025 at 1:33 PM
This looks like a wonderful resource as you are navigating the process of publishing your first book. And it's free!
A great opportunity for those working on an academic book, especially if it's the first (based on your dissertation)! Get the zoom link on Allison's profile.
Scholarly book authors: bring me your questions on Wednesday at an informal drop-in session!
Qs about the Dissertation-to-Book Workshop (is it a good fit for you?) will get priority, but I'll also talk about ANYTHING related to your book!
Qs about the Dissertation-to-Book Workshop (is it a good fit for you?) will get priority, but I'll also talk about ANYTHING related to your book!
*NEW* Workshop Q&A - Ask Me Anything with Allison
Wondering whether one of our workshops is right for you? Do you have questions about whether your book is at the right stage? Want to know more about any aspect of any of our workshops? Come ask Allison!
www.allisonvandeventer.com/workshops?ck...
Wondering whether one of our workshops is right for you? Do you have questions about whether your book is at the right stage? Want to know more about any aspect of any of our workshops? Come ask Allison!
www.allisonvandeventer.com/workshops?ck...
September 8, 2025 at 6:10 PM
A great opportunity for those working on an academic book, especially if it's the first (based on your dissertation)! Get the zoom link on Allison's profile.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
My free one-hour workshop, How to Publish a Book from Your Dissertation, is coming up on September 3.
Learn what academic presses are looking for when they acquire a new book project and how to avoid the dreaded “we don’t publish dissertations” rejection
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/diss...
Learn what academic presses are looking for when they acquire a new book project and how to avoid the dreaded “we don’t publish dissertations” rejection
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/diss...
How to Publish a Book from Your Dissertation
Learn how to reframe your dissertation project so publishers will see it as an appealing future book. This webinar will explain what scholarly publishers are looking for in new books and how to increa...
courses.manuscriptworks.com
August 21, 2025 at 1:56 PM
My free one-hour workshop, How to Publish a Book from Your Dissertation, is coming up on September 3.
Learn what academic presses are looking for when they acquire a new book project and how to avoid the dreaded “we don’t publish dissertations” rejection
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/diss...
Learn what academic presses are looking for when they acquire a new book project and how to avoid the dreaded “we don’t publish dissertations” rejection
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/diss...
Ugh I hate it when I leave things at places. Like this morning, I left the head of broccoli and cucumber I bought at the farmers' market. www.npr.org/2025/08/16/n...
Government papers found in an Alaskan hotel reveal new details of Trump-Putin summit
Documents with sensitive details about the meeting between President Trump and Russian President Putin were left behind on a public hotel printer.
www.npr.org
August 16, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Ugh I hate it when I leave things at places. Like this morning, I left the head of broccoli and cucumber I bought at the farmers' market. www.npr.org/2025/08/16/n...
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
Indexes for non-indexers! Aimed at proofreaders, but anyone who looks at indexes and has reason to edit them (say, reviewing an index you hired out for) can get a lot out of this. I cover the best ways to edit an index.
community.the-efa.org/events/Event...
#edibuddies #IndexSky #academicsky #EFA
community.the-efa.org/events/Event...
#edibuddies #IndexSky #academicsky #EFA
August 12, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Indexes for non-indexers! Aimed at proofreaders, but anyone who looks at indexes and has reason to edit them (say, reviewing an index you hired out for) can get a lot out of this. I cover the best ways to edit an index.
community.the-efa.org/events/Event...
#edibuddies #IndexSky #academicsky #EFA
community.the-efa.org/events/Event...
#edibuddies #IndexSky #academicsky #EFA
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
Katelyn and I run plenty of paid workshops, but we know well that not everyone can afford things like that. So we're committed to giving free workshops and making them available to watch. Here's one about book arguments!
RAZOR-SHARP ARGUMENTS - FREE WORKSHOP
We put together an hour-long workshop to help you discern and tighten your argument. And now you can watch for free!
@allisonvandev.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social
Watch FREE Workshop here:
vimeo.com/1006333776?c...
#academicsky #freeworkshop
We put together an hour-long workshop to help you discern and tighten your argument. And now you can watch for free!
@allisonvandev.bsky.social @uchicagopress.bsky.social
Watch FREE Workshop here:
vimeo.com/1006333776?c...
#academicsky #freeworkshop
Pinpointing and Sharpening Your Argument Workshop
This is "Pinpointing and Sharpening Your Argument Workshop" by Katelyn Knox on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
vimeo.com
July 28, 2025 at 11:29 PM
Katelyn and I run plenty of paid workshops, but we know well that not everyone can afford things like that. So we're committed to giving free workshops and making them available to watch. Here's one about book arguments!
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
In her latest newsletter, Emily Doucet is saying something I tell authors ALL THE TIME: "your argument needs to be a specific claim about the materials — your evidence — described in your manuscript."
And guess what: Emily has a step-by-step method for examining that evidence, with a worksheet!
And guess what: Emily has a step-by-step method for examining that evidence, with a worksheet!
Exercises for analyzing your evidence when drafting a scholarly manuscript — FRAMING DEVICES
If you’ve developed a set of research questions, chances are you’ve already begun collecting evidence, or at least have a sense of what you’ll need. But what I’ve seen again and again is that many wri...
www.framingdevices.com
July 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
In her latest newsletter, Emily Doucet is saying something I tell authors ALL THE TIME: "your argument needs to be a specific claim about the materials — your evidence — described in your manuscript."
And guess what: Emily has a step-by-step method for examining that evidence, with a worksheet!
And guess what: Emily has a step-by-step method for examining that evidence, with a worksheet!
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
This looks wonderful. I'm no longer in the classroom but this sounds great for an introductory literature seminar or first-year seminar
Here you go! I'll write some new ones for this semester too. They loved them. The "read without your phone or screens in the room" was a revelation, and many of them decided to keep doing it. They had NO IDEA (& were horrified) how often they interrupt themselves to look at a phone for no reason.
![Reading Scenario Experiments. This series of prompts is designed to get you thinking about how the setting for reading affects concentration, comprehension, and even the existential experience of reading. Every week, one of the following prompts will appear on the syllabus. I encourage you to try all of them that you are able. How does a different reading setting affect your mood? Your receptiveness to the prose? Your pleasure or difficulty reading? What are the particular impacts of changing your lighting or surroundings? What do you notice about yourself and about the work you are reading during this experiment?
1. read by candlelight (use a small lamp in dorms where no candles are allowed!)
2. read for one hour without checking any devices, answering texts, etc.
3. walk out into nature (climb a tree, sit on a rock, grab a spot in a hammock) and read
4. host a reading night with friends & food (sit in companionable silence, reading without chatting)
5. read aloud a chapter to someone else
6. climb into bed at night and read by flashlight under the covers for at least 30 minutes, as if you’ve already been told “lights out” as a kid
7. reread a chapter and see what new things you notice the second time through
8. change your ambient-noise level: add music if you normally read in the quiet; or read without music if you are normally a music-listener
9. read with a sketchpad at hand and sketch scenes, characters, or other elements from the story
10. practice focused listening: have someone read to you
11. make yourself a special, fancy snack on a real plate to nibble while eating: pay attention to the cooking or arranging or choosing of ingredients to make it especially appetizing first
12. make tea (even if you’re not usually a tea drinker), and read and sip
13. invent a new reading scenario for yourself, or repeat the one you liked the best from this term
[writing assignment using these prompts follows; text character limit prevents inclusion of it in full]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:rfs7afx6ue4mknbhhpnrzkyz/bafkreiel77b25truczj372qokmg5p3apa2dphux3jtplpz3dv35jul6wdu@jpeg)
July 17, 2025 at 3:35 PM
This looks wonderful. I'm no longer in the classroom but this sounds great for an introductory literature seminar or first-year seminar
@closereadingie.bsky.social Something to cheer you up. My 7 y/o is very into flags, and got a new book about flags of the world. He went right for the index. "The Index is 5 pages long!!!" "New Jersey page xxx! It's in here!" "There's an entry about yurts!" A 7 y/o discovering the joy of indexing.
June 17, 2025 at 2:17 PM
@closereadingie.bsky.social Something to cheer you up. My 7 y/o is very into flags, and got a new book about flags of the world. He went right for the index. "The Index is 5 pages long!!!" "New Jersey page xxx! It's in here!" "There's an entry about yurts!" A 7 y/o discovering the joy of indexing.
Ooooh! I lived in an apartment* that Mr. Big (SATC) was interested in buying. The realtor gave me permission to stay home one day when he wanted to come see it again. We exchanged a few words. He didn't buy the apartment.
* a whole other story
* a whole other story
Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction
June 13, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Ooooh! I lived in an apartment* that Mr. Big (SATC) was interested in buying. The realtor gave me permission to stay home one day when he wanted to come see it again. We exchanged a few words. He didn't buy the apartment.
* a whole other story
* a whole other story
today at 12pm Pacific, so 3pm Eastern. I'd be happy to answer questions afterwards
Tomorrow: How to Work with a Developmental Editor
FREE workshop that lays out what scholarly developmental editing is, how to find a qualified editor for yr book or article MS, typical costs & alternatives for every budget (bc I know budgets are low rn)
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/deve...
FREE workshop that lays out what scholarly developmental editing is, how to find a qualified editor for yr book or article MS, typical costs & alternatives for every budget (bc I know budgets are low rn)
courses.manuscriptworks.com/courses/deve...
Workshop: How to Work with a Developmental Editor
Get tips on how to find freelance developmental editors who can support you in publishing your next scholarly book or journal article. Learn about typical services and costs, what questions to ask to ...
courses.manuscriptworks.com
June 4, 2025 at 5:43 PM
today at 12pm Pacific, so 3pm Eastern. I'd be happy to answer questions afterwards
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
TRUMPS BIRTHDAY PARADE
All you have to do is go to america250.org to get FREE tickets for the Trump birthday military parade.
After getting tickets if something else unfortunately comes up for example the NO KINGS PROTEST that very day which is all across America, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
All you have to do is go to america250.org to get FREE tickets for the Trump birthday military parade.
After getting tickets if something else unfortunately comes up for example the NO KINGS PROTEST that very day which is all across America, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
America250
America250 is a nonpartisan initiative working to engage every American in the 250th anniversary of the United States.
america250.org
May 25, 2025 at 5:54 PM
TRUMPS BIRTHDAY PARADE
All you have to do is go to america250.org to get FREE tickets for the Trump birthday military parade.
After getting tickets if something else unfortunately comes up for example the NO KINGS PROTEST that very day which is all across America, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
All you have to do is go to america250.org to get FREE tickets for the Trump birthday military parade.
After getting tickets if something else unfortunately comes up for example the NO KINGS PROTEST that very day which is all across America, YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.
This thread is so depressing. If you're negotiating with a publisher about your book, stipulate you want a human copyeditor, preferably one of your own choice or in-house.
Academia in 2025: For weeks I’ve been working through botched copy-edits of my monograph, outsourced by the publisher to a company I’d never heard of, until it finally dawned on me the terrible job might be AI. A quick search confirmed the company recently launched new AI software, which now means..
May 27, 2025 at 5:39 PM
This thread is so depressing. If you're negotiating with a publisher about your book, stipulate you want a human copyeditor, preferably one of your own choice or in-house.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
This is HUGELY good news, and reading notes from the trial is infuriating. Could be any of dozens of friends/colleagues from my graduate program. 8.5 weeks in jail with minimal medical treatment for writing an op-ed.
Breaking: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to release Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk, who was held in a Louisiana immigration detention facility after she co-wrote an opinion piece criticizing her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza. www.reuters.com/world/us/tuf...
Tufts student detained by US immigration authorities must be released, judge rules
A federal judge ordered the Trump administration on Friday to release a Tufts University student from Turkey who has been held for over six weeks in a Louisiana immigration detention facility after she co-wrote an opinion piece criticizing her school's response to Israel's war in Gaza.
www.reuters.com
May 9, 2025 at 5:25 PM
This is HUGELY good news, and reading notes from the trial is infuriating. Could be any of dozens of friends/colleagues from my graduate program. 8.5 weeks in jail with minimal medical treatment for writing an op-ed.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
The man at left separated the mother and baby at right. The mother is now in Venezuela. Baby daughter, in foster care in the US, exact location unknown.
Dad? He's in CECOT prison without trial — because he had tattoos.
Dad? He's in CECOT prison without trial — because he had tattoos.
April 29, 2025 at 8:02 PM
The man at left separated the mother and baby at right. The mother is now in Venezuela. Baby daughter, in foster care in the US, exact location unknown.
Dad? He's in CECOT prison without trial — because he had tattoos.
Dad? He's in CECOT prison without trial — because he had tattoos.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
Many of our members have had grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities abruptly terminated. In response, the AHA, @modernlanguage.bsky.social, & @ach.bsky.social are convening an Information Exchange about the NEH Appeal Process on Wednesday, April 30th at 11am ET on Zoom. Register now 🗃️
Information Exchange about the NEH Appeal Process - AHA
Many of our members have had grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities abruptly terminated. In response, the AHA and partner organizations are convening an Information Exchange about the N...
www.historians.org
April 29, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Many of our members have had grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities abruptly terminated. In response, the AHA, @modernlanguage.bsky.social, & @ach.bsky.social are convening an Information Exchange about the NEH Appeal Process on Wednesday, April 30th at 11am ET on Zoom. Register now 🗃️
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
They’re taking *our* investment—the money that we spent months writing grants for, the hours and hours we all spent reviewing each others’ work, the money that was supposed to go to libraries and community groups—and blowing it on this nonsense.
“the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is pleased to announce a special funding opportunity to support the design and creation of statues of important American historical figures for the planned National Garden of American Heroes.” bit.ly/42KlpCz
NEH Announces Grant Opportunity to Create Statues of Iconic Americans for the National Garden of American Heroes
bit.ly
April 24, 2025 at 8:45 PM
They’re taking *our* investment—the money that we spent months writing grants for, the hours and hours we all spent reviewing each others’ work, the money that was supposed to go to libraries and community groups—and blowing it on this nonsense.
Reposted by Willemina Don, editor
Academic authors! Are you thinking about working with a developmental editor—someone you hire to work with you on your book's big picture and give you suggestions for improving your drafts?
If so, I can help connect you! I know a number of editors, and I'm offering to be your matchmaker!
If so, I can help connect you! I know a number of editors, and I'm offering to be your matchmaker!
April 17, 2025 at 5:22 PM
Academic authors! Are you thinking about working with a developmental editor—someone you hire to work with you on your book's big picture and give you suggestions for improving your drafts?
If so, I can help connect you! I know a number of editors, and I'm offering to be your matchmaker!
If so, I can help connect you! I know a number of editors, and I'm offering to be your matchmaker!
Sage advice for those trying to get multiple projects out the door.
In this post, I tell you the two main setups you can use to balance multiple projects: serial writing and parallel writing.
Which one works best for you will depend on how you work and how much time you have.
katelynknox.com/academic-wri...
Which one works best for you will depend on how you work and how much time you have.
katelynknox.com/academic-wri...
April 15, 2025 at 1:39 PM
Sage advice for those trying to get multiple projects out the door.