Friday, January 9, 2026: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
Madison Room (Palmer House Hilton, Third Floor)

Session Organizer: Dan Du, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Chair: Dan Du, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Presenters:
Bridget Barry, University of Nebraska Press
Dan Du, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Yuanchong Wang, University of Delaware
Xiaowei Zheng, University of California, Santa Barbara

Session Abstract

Publishing monographs remains a task of utmost importance for most academics in the field of history, who often find this experience frustrating and emotionally taxing. It is a long process, which demands a wide variety of academic and social skills ranging from selecting the right topics and gathering primary sources as well as communicating with editors and reviewers. It is a complex procedure requiring multiple parties to collaborate, often within a short time window, to get the manuscript ready for the market. It is also a pivotal and yet stressful step in our career paths, as the accomplishments and jobs of most professional historians still largely hinge on the publication of books. Therefore, although the consequence is mostly rewarding, this long journey to monograph publications is challenging for all involved. By convening authors, editors, and reviewers, this roundtable aims to facilitate open discussions among all stakeholders and generate critical reflections on their strategies and failures in tackling shared challenges, thus seeking to find better solutions for the publication process or, at the very least, helping others navigate it. As the largest meeting for historians, the AHA is the ideal platform for opening the conversation and receiving constructive feedback from the audience.

The four panelists will discuss the publication process from different perspectives. As the first-time author, Dan Du will recount her experience with publishing her monograph when the tenure clock was ticking. Owing to time constraints, the tasks of communicating with editors, balancing reviewers’ varied evaluations, and finalizing the manuscript became especially daunting. The key was being flexible, communicative, and willing to incorporate varying ideas into the revision process. The road to the second book has never been shorter or easier, as Yuanchong Wang will emphasize in his presentation. With more expertise in the field, the endeavor to select research topics for the second project, find archival sources, and tackle reviewers’ feedback can be far more solitary than publishing the first book, not to mention the increasingly significant familial responsibilities. Wang will share his strategies of crafting a clear plan for the second monograph as early as the dissertation revision stage. Editors have different perspectives and tips. Bridget Barry, drawing on her over a decade of experience as editor-in-chief at the University of Nebraska Press, will offer authors the strategies to navigate the hurdles, such as choosing publishers, writing proposals, managing peer reviews, finalizing manuscripts, writing second books, and promoting their books. Peer reviewers are another gatekeeper in book publications and thus, sometimes, have uneasy relations with authors. However, Xiaowei Zheng will demystify this role in her presentation, clarifying reviewers’ expectations in their reports and providing practical tips for graduate students and assistant professors on responding to readers’ reports.