Crafting Your Scholarly Book
An 8.5-week online workshop to help you
identify a strong argument and structure for your book
and develop a writing practice
that will sustain you through your revision process
Twice-weekly live calls; editorial feedback on key aspects of
your book's argument and organization;
”mini-presentations" on various parts of the revision & publishing process;
video modules & a workbook focused on sustainable productivity;
discussion threads on a private forum;
and the opportunity to talk with me one-on-one if needed.
Workshop Runs May 18–July 17, 2026
Tiered Pricing for Workshop (Click on Link for Full Details)
If you register by March 15th, the workshop fee is $1280 with institutional funding
and $960 without institutional funding. (Scholarships available.)
Many of my clients want some help solidifying their books’ foundations before they get deep into their revisions.
Whether you’re revising your dissertation or working on a second or third book, I’ve designed this 8.5-week online workshop to give you editorial guidance, a supportive community, and accountability as you focus intensively on key “big-picture” aspects of your book. You’ll work on refining your book’s central argument, chapter arguments, organization, and narrative arc, all work that is critical to crafting a cohesive and engaging book that tells the story you want to tell. Putting time upfront into this sort of conceptual work can save you time and energy long-term, since clarifying your larger vision for the book will help you approach your chapter-level revisions strategically.
The workshop will also:
Provide guidance on some important aspects of the revision & publishing process (through a series of 20-minute “mini-presentations” built into the first live call each week).
Support you in figuring out concrete strategies and structures that will help you make meaningful progress on your book revisions on a week-to-week basis after the workshop ends (through video modules, optional reflective exercises, and biweekly group coaching).
Overview of Workshop Curriculum
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Our primary curriculum for the book development component of the workshop will be the brilliant Dissertation-to-Book Workbookby Katelyn Knox and Allison Van Deventer. By the end of the workshop, you’ll have created a 2-page book narrative to guide your future revisions (which you’ll also be able to draw on when you write your book proposal). This narrative will be based on the careful thought you’ve put into your book’s evidence base, scope, organizing principle, narrative arc, argument, and claim for significance.
Scroll down for information about the focus of the different live calls each week, the editorial feedback I provide on key elements of your book developmental work, and the specific Dissertation-to-Book Workbook chapters we’ll work through each week.
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The workshop will help you figure out what sorts of strategies and structures make it easier for you to write consistently, focus your efforts strategically, and work through blocks. Through 8 weekly video modules, I offer concrete strategies and ideas for you to experiment with so that you can see what adjustments actually help your writing practice feel more energizing or sustainable.
The video modules draw from dozens of books (and other sources) on "sustainable productivity," including ideas tailored to neurodivergent individuals and strategies specific to the context of academia and academic writing. We will also draw on Michelle Boyd’s insightful book Becoming the Writer You Already Are as a "supplemental" text in two modules (during weeks 2 and 7).
Module 1: Rituals & Experimentation
Module 2: Managing Perfectionism, Procrastination, & Your Inner Critic
Module 3: Planning Your Semester & Setting Effective Goals
Module 4: Structuring Your Workweek & Maintaining Motivation
Module 5: Protecting Time for Writing and Self-Care
Module 6: Protecting Your Focus
Module 7: Getting Unstuck at Different Stages of the Writing Process
Module 8: Requesting & Navigating Feedback at Different Stages of the Writing Process
You can scroll down to the “workshop outline” for more information about each module or read my Sustainable Productivity Manifesto to learn more about my philosophy and approach.
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Beginning week 3, I weave a 20-minute mini-presentation on a key aspect of the publishing or revision process into our intro call each week. (I’ll also share my slide decks after the call.) The presentations are on the following topics:
“Reverse planning” and understanding typical timelines for publishing a book.
Thinking about word counts for sections, chapters, and books and figuring out effective section headings, chapter titles, and book titles.
Citing confidently (a preview of chapter 16 in the workbook).
Understanding book proposals; drawing on the “big-picture” conceptual work you’ve done as you draft your proposal.
Making use of the “big-picture” conceptual work you’ve done on your book as you revise an individual chapter (a preview of chapters 14 and 15 in the workbook).
Working with an editor and understanding the different types of editing.
You’ll need to have drafted material corresponding to at least 50% of a rough draft to be able to work through the Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises effectively, so that you have a substantial body of concrete material to work with. This “draft” could be your dissertation; it could be a series of journal articles and conference papers; it could be a very messy preliminary manuscript draft; or it could be a fairly polished manuscript draft, if you aren’t yet confident about your book’s overarching argument, chapter arguments, or organization.
You can see comments from past participants here. Keep reading this page for information about the weekly meetings and course topics.
Each section of the workshop will be capped at 8 participants. The weekly Zoom meetings (except for the coaching sessions) will be recorded and shared on a private forum, so you can watch the replay if you can’t attend live.
Logistics
I will be holding two sections again; Section 1 will meet in the morning or midday for US time zones, while Section 2 will meet in the morning in East Asia and in the evening for US time zones.
Section 1 will meet on Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30–12:30 or 11:30–12:45 ET. (Most of the calls are 60 minutes in length, but the biweekly coaching calls are 75 minutes.)
Section 2 will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30–10:30 or 9:30–10:45 a.m. in Japan and Korea and 8:30–9:30 or 8:30–9:45 a.m. in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, and on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:30–9:30 or 8:30–9:45 p.m. ET. (Most of the calls are 60 minutes in length, but the biweekly coaching calls are 75 minutes.)
Participants also can sign up for my Support & Accountability Community (a Zoom cowriting group) as an optional “add-on,” though the timing of the calls probably won’t work for participants based in East Asia. For those who sign up for this group, there will be cowriting calls on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (10:00–12:00 ET Tuesdays, 2:00–4:00 ET Wednesdays, & 10:00–12:00 ET Fridays) for most of the workshop (and then for some additional weeks after the workshop ends).
Mid-Session Break: This is an “8.5-week” workshop because even though it runs for 9 weeks, we’ll have a half-week break from June 17th through 19th.
Focus of the Weekly Zoom Calls
Mondays (for section 1), Tuesdays (for section 2):
A 60-minute “intro call” in which 1) we share challenges and discoveries from the previous week, 2) I introduce both the “writing practice” and Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises for the week, and 3) I give a brief presentation on a topic related to book revisions or the publishing process (see the topics under the workshop outline below) and answer participant questions. (The brief presentations will begin week 3.)
Following the intro call each week, there will be a 15-minute block for one-on-one consultations (participants can reserve this block in advance).
Thursdays (for both sections):
Every other week, I’ll lead a 75-minute group coaching session focused on the “writing process” topics for that two-week period. On the weeks without the coaching session, I will hold a 60-minute Q&A session, followed by a 15-minute block for one-on-one consultations (participants can reserve this block in advance).
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (for participants who sign up for the “add-on” Support & Accountability Community):
Guided Zoom cowriting calls (with check-in time at the beginning, middle, and end), including monthly “extra-support” cowriting calls (where we have a bit of additional time for reflection and conversation, and then I am available for one-on-one coaching conversations in a breakout room). You can also sign up to be a part of the Support & Accountability in the fall to help sustain the momentum you’ve built on your book project during the workshop.
Although the Support & Accountability Community officially begins June 1st, I will offer the cowriting sessions to participants in Crafting Your Scholarly Book for an additional two weeks (beginning the week of May 18th, when the workshop begins).
This year, I’m building a mid-session break into the workshop. During week 5, we won’t have a Thursday call (or cowriting on Wednesday or Friday). The next week, we’ll have a Q&A call during the usual Intro call time and then a group coaching call on the Thursday—and so there will be a week with no new Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises. This should build in a bit of breathing room, since the book development work is quite intense!
Video Modules, Discussion Forum, & Editorial Feedback
In addition to the live calls, I’ll provide:
A sustainable productivity curriculum I’ve titled “Building a Writing Practice that Works for You, delivered through 8 video modules (20–30 minutes in length).
A workbook with exercises and reflective prompts for each of the video modules as well as a curated list of additional resources for academic writers.
An online forum with discussion threads where you can check in, ask questions, or share thoughts about the Dissertation-to-Book exercises or the “writing practice” topics. (You can also email me with questions if you prefer not to post in the forum.) I provide fairly extensive feedback in response to participant questions, which is one reason I cap the total number of participants in the workshop!
Over the course of the workshop, I encourage all participants to share three critical elements of their book development work with me so that I can offer editorial feedback. (These elements are the organizing principle, book questions, and chapter answers, which collectively provide a way to organize the book and thread the larger book argument through individual chapters.)
I have 15-minute slots open after each of the live calls for one-on-one consultations, but I also hold longer one-on-one calls with program participants as needed (to work through thorny conceptual issues that come up as participants work through the Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises).
Ideally you might devote at least 7 hours (and up to 14 hours) per week to this course (5–10 hours for the Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises and an additional 2–4 hours for the live calls, video modules, optional reflective exercises, and participation in discussion threads). But you can always circle back to the lessons and workshop materials if things come up.
Weekly Assignments
Your core tasks each week (outside of the group meetings) will be to work through the assigned chapters in The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook and the video modules on the “writing practice” topics. (Each video is 20–30 minutes at normal speed.) If you’d like, you can also complete the optional reflective exercises for each of the video modules. In weeks 2 and 7, there will also be short supplemental readings from Michelle Boyd’s book Becoming the Writer You Already Are.
All live calls will be recorded (with the exception of the group coaching calls), so if you need to miss a call, you can watch the recording later. You won’t submit your weekly exercises to me, but I can provide guidance orally during the live Q&A calls, and I’ll encourage participants to share share three critical elements of their book development work with me for written editorial feedback. (More details above.)
Weekly Topics
I’ll introduce new book development topics (based on chapters in the Dissertation-to-Book Workbook exercises) in each of the 8 “intro calls” and new writing practice topics in each of the 8 video modules. (Week 5, we’ll have a Q&A call during the usual “intro call” time.) Starting in week 3, I’ll build a 20-minute mini-presentation on an important aspect of the revision or publishing process into each week’s intro call.
WEEK 1 (May 18–22)
Book Development: “Considering Your Book on Its Own Terms” (workbook chapter 1) and “Reviewing Your Book’s Organizing Principle” (chapter 2)
Writing Practice: Cultivating strong BASE writing habits (behavioral, artisanal, social, and emotional habits) and bringing pleasure into the writing process. Using easing-into-writing and end-of-session rituals to make it easier to get started each day.
WEEK 2 (May 25–29)
Book Development: “Drafting Your First Book Question” (workbook chapter 3), “Drafting Your Remaining Book Questions” (chapter 4), and “Revising Your Book Questions” (chapter 5)
Writing Practice: Managing perfectionism, procrastination, and your inner critic. Experimenting with strategies to ease any tension you feel about writing. (Supplemental reading: chapter 2, “More Than You Think: How Head, Hand, and Heart Make Writing So Hard” from Michelle Boyd’s book Becoming the Writer You Already Are.)
WEEK 3 (June 1–5)
Book Development: “Assessing Your Chapters on Their Own Terms” (workbook chapter 6) and “Checking Your Chapters for Parallelism” (chapter 7)
Writing Practice: Planning your semester and setting effective goals. Taking a clear-eyed look at the ebbs & flows in various time commitments across the semester and developing better time estimates for tasks. Building flexibility and self-compassion into planning and goal-setting.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: “Reverse planning” and understanding typical timelines for publishing a book.
WEEK 4 (June 8–12)
Book Development: Second week on “Checking Your Chapters for Parallelism” (workbook chapter 7), plus “Crafting Your Book’s Narrative Arc” (chapter 8)
Writing Practice: Figuring out a good structure and rhythm for your workweek and thinking about what level of structure works best for you. Sustaining motivation.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: Thinking about word counts for sections, chapters, and books and figuring out effective section headings, chapter titles, and book titles.
WEEK 5 (June 15–16; mid-session break from June 17–19)
Book Development: “Producing Your Chapter Answers” (workbook chapter 9)
Writing Practice: Protecting time for writing and self-care. Strategies for setting boundaries, both around particular sets of tasks and with other people.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: Citing confidently (a preview of chapter 16 in the workbook).
There is no Q&A call on Thursday, June 18th, and no cowriting calls for those in the Support & Accountability Community on June 17th or 19th.
WEEK 6 (June 22–26; buffer week, with no new workbook exercises!)
There will be a Q&A call during the normal intro call time this week (on Monday for Section 1 and Tuesday for Section 2) and then a group coaching call during the Thursday live call time. There is no new Dissertation-to-Book Workbook material this week.
Writing Practice: Strategies for protecting your focus. Managing your email efficiently and minimizing distraction in your workday.
WEEK 7 (June 29–July 3)
Book Development: “Revising Your Chapter Answers as a Group and Refining Your Book Questions” (workbook chapter 10)
Writing Practice: Two different ways to think about “stages” of the drafting process, and concrete ideas for moving forward at each stage. Supplemental reading: chapter 3, “Turning Toward Yourself: How Writing Process Can Get You Unstuck,'“ and chapter 5, “Growing from the Inside Out: Exploring and Expanding Your Writing Process,” from Michelle Boyd’s book Becoming the Writer You Already Are.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: Understanding book proposals; drawing on the “big-picture” conceptual work you’ve done as you draft your proposal.
WEEK 8 (July 6–10)
Book Development: “Reviewing Your Book’s Changes and Tying Up Loose Ends” (workbook chapter 11) and “Assembling Your Book Argument” (chapter 12)
Writing Practice: Handling both constructive and less-than-constructive criticism. Asking for the feedback you need for the writing stage you are in.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: Making use of the “big-picture” conceptual work you’ve done on your book as you revise an individual chapter (a preview of chapters 14 and 15 in the workbook).
WEEK 9 (July 13–17)
Book Development: “Assembling Your Two-Page Book Narrative” (chapter 13). Drawing on your book narrative to revise your chapters or draft a book proposal. Making your book approachable for a broader audience.
Topic for Mini-Presentation during Intro Call: Working with an editor and understanding the different types of editing.
BONUS
Each winter, I will offer two “editorial Q&A” calls for workshop alumni (one at a time that works for people in the Americas and Europe and one at a time that works for people in East Asia) where I will answer broad questions about book manuscripts, the revision process, and publishing. If there’s a question I can’t answer, I’ll tap into my network and do my best to get an answer for you!
Comments from Workshop Participants
“The 8-week ‘Crafting Your Scholarly Book’ made my book project feel possible. I came away with so much concrete, specific language that describes my project and its portents, and a much clearer sense of how each part builds on and informs the other. Through the workshop exercises I was able to see my project from multiple vantage points I had not previously been able to access, and developed the core structures and narrative of the book in ways that make me energized and excited about the project!”
“Ellen’s ‘Crafting Your Scholarly Book’ workshop had a tremendous impact on my book project and writing practices. Before joining Ellen’s workshop, I was experiencing difficulty with the narrative arc of my book project, the flow of my chapters, and finding my voice as a writer. Thanks to Ellen’s feedback and the support of fellow workshop participants, I emerged from the workshop with a solid book narrative, cohesive chapter flow, and more confidence in my project! Ellen kindly gave pep talks throughout the process and met with me to discuss any questions that I had about my project and the workshop exercises. She also hosted co-writing sessions for interested participants, which provided some much-needed accountability for my chapter revisions. Ellen clearly invested a LOT of time in the workshop, evident by her informative uploaded videos, worksheets, and remarks during our live sessions. The atmosphere of the workshop was also very warm and fun. Even though all of the participants were from different time zones, institutions, and career stages, I felt as if I was co-working with good friends. I highly recommend—and have recommended—Ellen’s workshop to my colleagues. If I had not participated in this workshop, I do not think I would have been able to develop the strong foundation for my book project that I now have. Thank you, Ellen! ”
“I really benefited from Ellen’s expertise and her detailed comments and suggestions. Ellen was supportive, understanding, and I felt like her comments on the writing exercises were spot on in articulating what I was trying to say.
I found Ellen’s weekly presentations on the book publishing process/editing especially helpful. They helped answer a lot of questions I had about the process, and provided clear guidance, especially for early-career researchers.
Writing can be solitary, but having the live meetings gave me a sense of community (and also soft deadlines for working through the workbook). It was comforting to hear about others’ experiences and about the strategies they used to overcome challenges in writing.
[Before the workshop,] I was feeling stuck, and unsure of where to start in terms of converting the dissertation into a book. This workshop has definitely given me a new set of lenses to think about my project’s bigger claims together with chapter-level details, and new motivation to work on my draft. I now feel like I have a clearer plan for moving forward, and a foundation to return to. Deciding to attend this workshop was the best decision I’ve made this summer!”
“I tend to collect [strategies and tools] like a magpie—what I appreciated most about the way the workshop presented these things was the additional philosophy/elucidation of mindset that accompanied the practical advice/strategies, because it has helped me reason my way into better habits of MIND in addition to habits of practice.
I appreciated the video lessons for their aggregation of useful writing practices and the mental narratives that underpin them. I really liked starting my week on Sunday evening with the videos, to give me a focused topic to prioritize for the week and think about incorporating in the long-term, rather than trying to revamp my entire practice all at once. Ellen’s live and written feedback was instrumental in being able to play-test writing and see if we were on the right track, and also to have a level of built-in accountability that I personally really benefit from.
I appreciated the dual nature of the workshop—breaking down elements of working ‘on’ the book, while also breaking down and slowly building a writing practice bit by bit, and thinking about what that can look like in the long-term. Developing both over the course of our eight weeks felt geared toward the long-term—the book, the job as a whole. It’s an 8-week workshop, but it’s not an 8-week marathon where everything happens, only to go back to having nothing happen afterward.
I would absolutely recommend this workshop. The workbook we used is fantastic, and the exercises within it are augmented by the experience of working through it with others and hearing about their projects, as well as by Ellen’s feedback and additional framing. It’s a big time commitment in terms of the exercises and heady book-thinking, but works well as far as timing goes (first 2/3 of summer), and is well worthwhile.”
“Before the beginning of Ellen’s workshop, the prospect of turning my dissertation into a book seemed daunting and nebulous. By the end, it seemed eminently doable, and I felt motivated to write! I heartily recommend her workshop as a way to kick off a book-writing sabbatical.”
“Ellen was amazing at distilling the most crucial aspects of my argument and book questions. I felt very comfortable sharing my thoughts and confusions with her, as I knew she would always help me land somewhere more concrete. Ellen is [also] very insightful and warm. She knows how to work with diverse kinds of projects and help everyone articulate their own ideas better. Dream editor to work with!
Crafting Your Scholarly Book provided not only strategies and tools but also the necessary space for mutual support among junior scholars. It was very encouraging to share ideas, methods, and frustrations with Ellen and the participants.
The workshop helped me ground my project better. I now feel so much more secure with my manuscript ideas. The workshop gave me fresh momentum to move my project forward, and I’m now excited to start working on the manuscript!”
“I had an incredible experience participating in Ellen’s ‘Crafting Your Scholarly Book’ workshop. Not only did it help me to gain new insight into my book project and more confidence in the work that I am doing, but I also feel like I am working to develop a better relationship with my practice of writing. I am very appreciative of all the time and labor that Ellen put into the workshop to make it so rewarding.
Prior to starting the workshop, I was worried about having enough time to devote to it. However, I soon found that participating in it actually helped me to feel less stressed and more supported. I always looked forward to the morning sessions, especially because of the community that Ellen fostered with such intentionality.
Not to mention, Ellen’s comments on the discussion forum went above and beyond what I would normally consider helpful feedback. She so carefully went through each of my posts to offer meaningful insight that has truly benefited the development of my book. I am grateful for the work she put into those comments.
I enjoyed Ellen’s videos [the “Building a Writing Practice that Works for You” curriculum] as well! I learned so much about the writing process in a way that is helping me work through my anxieties and insecurities. I now have concrete skills that I can implement if I find myself getting stuck. I appreciated her sharing this wisdom with all of us!
Finally, Ellen is an extremely generous person. She gave each participant so much of her time and has offered to continue sharing various resources with us even now that the workshop has ended. Her kindness and energy made the workshop even more fulfilling.”
“Ellen’s ‘Crafting Your Scholarly Book’ workshop helped me efficiently work through a stellar curriculum that has enabled me to solidify for myself what exactly my book does and to articulate that to others. I expect the work we did will be immensely useful in completing and revising the manuscript and in drafting a book proposal. Throughout the summer, Ellen was professional, encouraging, energetic, and responsive, and I highly recommend this workshop!”