How to Turn Your Dissertation into a Book? - Academic Services

Last Modified: 13 January 2025 - 10:59

How to Turn Your Dissertation into a Book: A Scholar’s Guide to Publication

Congratulations on completing your dissertation! You’ve poured years of research, analysis, and writing into a substantial piece of academic work. But your journey with this valuable knowledge doesn’t have to end here. Many scholars choose to share their research with a wider audience by turning their dissertation into a book.

This process, however, requires a significant shift in approach. A dissertation is a highly specialized document aimed at a narrow academic circle, while a book targets a broader audience and aims for accessibility and engagement. This guide will equip you with the tools and strategies to transform your dissertation into a compelling and publishable book.

Identifying Your Audience: Who Will Read Your Book?

The cornerstone of transforming your dissertation is understanding who you want to reach with your book. Here are some key considerations:

General vs. Academic Audience: Do you want to target a general audience interested in your field or a more specialized academic readership? This will significantly influence the level of detail and technical language you use.
Reader Needs and Interests: What are the needs and interests of your target audience? What questions are they seeking answers to? Tailoring your content to their specific needs will increase engagement.
Existing Scholarship: Research existing books on your topic. Identify gaps in current knowledge or fresh perspectives you can offer.

Reshaping Your Dissertation: Content and Structure

Focus on the Core Argument: Dissertations often delve into intricate details to support a central argument. Distill this core message into a clear and concise thesis statement for your book.
Refine the Scope and Length: Dissertations are typically lengthy and comprehensive. A book should be concise and focused. Identify sections that can be omitted or condensed and consider adding new material to broaden the appeal.
Simplify Language and Style: Dissertations use formal academic language. For a book, strive for a clear, concise, and engaging writing style, reducing jargon and technical terms where possible.
Strengthen the Narrative Arc: While dissertations present information in a logical structure, consider incorporating a more narrative approach in your book. Create a clear introduction, a well-developed argument, and a satisfying conclusion that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.

Enhancing Your Book for Publication

Strengthen the Introduction and Conclusion: The introduction is your chance to hook readers and clearly outline the book’s purpose and significance. Similarly, the conclusion should summarize key takeaways and offer a sense of closure.
Incorporate Additional Content: Consider adding chapters that go beyond your dissertation, such as case studies, real-world applications of your research, or practical advice for your target audience.
Visual Appeal: While some academic books may have limited visuals, consider incorporating figures, charts, or images to enhance understanding and break up text-heavy sections.
Develop a Compelling Title: Your title should be clear, concise, and accurately reflect the book’s content. It should also be catchy and pique the reader’s interest.

The Publishing Landscape: Choosing Your Path

Traditional Publishing: This route involves submitting your book proposal to a publishing house. They handle everything from editing and design to marketing and distribution. The process can be lengthy and competitive, but successful publication offers prestige and wider market reach.
Academic Presses: These publishers specialize in scholarly works and may be a good fit for books with a niche academic audience. They offer editorial expertise and peer review but may have limited marketing resources.
Self-Publishing: This option allows you complete control over the publishing process. You can set your own price, design, and marketing strategy. However, self-publishing requires significant effort in editing, formatting, and distribution.

Remember:

Seek Feedback: Share your manuscript with trusted colleagues, editors, or beta readers familiar with your field and target audience. Their feedback can help refine your content and identify areas for improvement.
Research and Prepare: Regardless of your chosen path, research different publishers or self-publishing platforms. Understand their submission guidelines, contracts, and royalty structures.
Seek Professional Help: Consider hiring an editor to polish your writing and ensure academic rigor. For self-publishing, consider collaborating with a designer and marketing professional.

Conclusion: From Dissertation to Published Book

Transforming your dissertation into a book is an exciting opportunity to share your valuable research with a wider audience. By understanding your target audience, adapting your content, and choosing the right publishing path, you can see your scholarly work reach new heights and make a lasting impact. Remember, this transformation process may require additional research, writing, and dedication, but the result – a published book – will be a testament to your expertise and a valuable resource for your readers.

Ph.D. graduates decide to publish their thesis as a book. We, as an institute helping students with publishing their works, get lots of those books. A short look at them shows that the writer is not aware of the differences between a book and a dissertation or thesis. S/he just sends the thesis as it is and asks us to publish it as a book. While in order to turn a thesis into a book you need to make some changes in your thesis.

In order to turn your dissertation into a book, forget about your dissertation. Just use the information you get during the process of dissertation writing, and write a new, more general version of it. However, at the same time, it is not going to be a completely new subject providing new information. The subject, the aim, the variables, conclusion, and all the information are the same.

The title

Before starting to write, define the topic of your book considering its audience.

The title of a thesis should be specific and limited, while books need a broader title to be interesting to a wider range of audience i.e. it should not be too specialized. Let’s say you are a potential reader, would you buy a book with that title? So choose the title of your book in a way that it is interesting enough to attract potential readers. The maximum characters of 70 are acceptable.

The scope:

Theses have a broader scope than books. A researcher studies several variables in a thesis or dissertation. A book needs to be narrower. It should cover a limit and a specific scope.

You can choose one of the variables and write on that in your book.

The chapters

Chapters of a book differ from a dissertation.

Every thesis is of five chapters which we discussed in “chapters of a Ph.D. and master’s thesis” post. While chapters of books are organized according to their subject i.e. you can divide the book into chapters based on subjects you are going to talk about, and make headings and subheadings for each one.

Note that the organization of a book is very important. A clear organization that its logic is easy to be understood is more possible to attract the reader.

To arrange your book, consult a table of content. It can be like this:

Acknowledgment (optional)
Dedication (optional)
Preface
Section/part one:
- Chapter one
- Chapter two
- [continue with other chapters]
[continiue with other sections]
References
For further reading (optional)
Appendixes (if it has)

As you see, books can have acknowledgment, dedication, and preface. It also ends with references and appendixes, as in theses. You can also ignore section/parts.

You need to organize each chapter, too. Each of them begins with a warm-up. After the introduction, go on with subsections and ends with a conclusion. Relate each chapter to its previous one, and in the last paragraph open a new subject in relation to what has been said, so that you can write about the new subject in the next chapter.

Make the Preface as effective as you can, so that motivates the reader to follow the book.

The content

The language you will use in a book differs from a dissertation. verbs are active. Jargon is eliminated or defined beside you should use a simpler language in your book. It needs to be understandable to a wider range of readers.

Theses and dissertations are full of repeat and their chapters are long. Eliminate the repeated sentences and make each section as short as it is readable.

In a book, you do not cite in the body. The “references”.

Review what you have written

When you are done with writing the book, leave it for a few days or a week, and then review it to revise.

Make openings of each chapter stronger.

Review the chapters, headings, and subheadings. Use strong and attractive phrases for them. The order of them also needs to make sense logically.

Eliminate unnecessary content, extend the explanations and descriptions as needed, and add definition to terminologies.

To write a better version of your book, you need to know the differences between a book and a dissertation, you can follow “Differences between book and dissertation” for more information.

Hoortash institution offer publication services as well as training and counseling you to turn your dissertation into a book.

Here are some questions and answers about “How to Turn Your Dissertation into a Book”:

1. Can I directly publish my dissertation as a book?

Answer:
No, you generally cannot directly publish your dissertation as a book. A dissertation is often too specialized, technical, and narrowly focused to appeal to a broad audience. To turn your dissertation into a book, you will need to significantly revise and adapt the content, making it more accessible, engaging, and relevant to a wider readership, including academics, professionals, and possibly the general public.

2. What changes should I make when converting my dissertation into a book?

Answer:
When converting your dissertation into a book, consider the following changes:

Broaden the scope: Expand the content to make it more comprehensive and accessible. Consider incorporating case studies, practical applications, or broader context to engage a wider audience.
Simplify the language: Make the language more reader-friendly. Avoid jargon or overly technical terms, and explain complex ideas in a way that non-experts can understand.
Structure and flow: Restructure the book to have a more narrative flow rather than the rigid academic format of a dissertation. Consider the needs and expectations of a book audience.
Remove redundant sections: Eliminate sections that are overly technical or detailed, such as extensive methodology descriptions, which might not be necessary in a book.
Add new material: Introduce new chapters, discussions, or perspectives to update the content, ensuring that it reflects the latest developments in your field.

3. How do I know if my dissertation is suitable for turning into a book?

Answer:
Not all dissertations are suitable for conversion into a book. Consider these factors:

Originality: Your dissertation should offer unique insights or address a topic that hasn’t been extensively covered in books.
Broader appeal: The topic should have relevance beyond academia and appeal to a broader audience, such as professionals, policymakers, or the general public.
Depth of research: Your dissertation should contain in-depth research and ideas that are strong enough to stand up in a book-length format.
Field of study: Books tend to be more common in fields like history, sociology, literature, and the humanities, while dissertations in more specialized or technical fields might need significant modification to be book-worthy.

4. How much time does it take to turn a dissertation into a book?

Answer:
Turning a dissertation into a book can take anywhere from six months to two years, depending on the amount of revision needed, the complexity of the topic, and the publisher’s requirements. During this time, you will need to refine your manuscript, add new material, and potentially engage in additional research.

5. Should I find a publisher before revising my dissertation into a book?

Answer:
It’s generally a good idea to research potential publishers before revising your dissertation into a book. Some academic publishers may be interested in turning your dissertation into a book and may offer guidance on necessary revisions. Alternatively, you may decide to self-publish, which gives you more control over the process but requires more effort on your part for distribution and marketing. Either way, understanding the publisher’s guidelines and expectations early on can help shape your revisions.

6. What is the role of a literary agent in turning a dissertation into a book?

Answer:
A literary agent can help you navigate the process of turning your dissertation into a book by:

Helping you identify the right publishers or avenues for self-publishing.
Assisting in shaping your manuscript to meet the expectations of publishers.
Negotiating contracts and royalties on your behalf.
Offering professional advice on how to market and promote the book. While not mandatory, having an agent can simplify the process, especially if you plan to publish traditionally.

7. How do I revise the introduction and conclusion when turning my dissertation into a book?

Answer:

Introduction: In a book, the introduction should be more engaging and broader in scope than a dissertation. Instead of just outlining the research problem, you should also explain the relevance of your topic to a wider audience and set the stage for the book’s main arguments in an engaging way.
Conclusion: The conclusion in a book should be broader and more reflective. It should summarize the key points but also discuss the broader implications of your findings and suggest avenues for future research or real-world applications. Avoid overly technical summaries that are more suited to a dissertation.

8. What types of feedback should I seek when revising my dissertation into a book?

Answer:
When revising your dissertation into a book, seek feedback from:

Academic peers: Get input on whether the revised content still holds scholarly value and if it effectively communicates your research and arguments.
Professional editors: A professional editor can help with style, language, structure, and overall readability, ensuring that the book appeals to a wider audience.
Non-experts or potential readers: Feedback from individuals outside your field can help you gauge how well you’re communicating complex ideas to a broader audience.

9. Do I need to update the content with new research when turning my dissertation into a book?

Answer:
Yes, updating your content with the latest research is highly recommended. A dissertation often reflects research done several years ago, and in the time it takes to revise it into a book, new developments in your field may have emerged. Including the most up-to-date research, theories, and discussions will make your book more relevant and appealing to readers.

10. How do I adapt the tone of my dissertation for a book?

Answer:
The tone of your dissertation is often formal, technical, and academic. For a book, you should:

Simplify the language: Replace technical jargon with simpler language that’s more accessible to general readers while maintaining academic integrity.
Engage readers: Use a more engaging and narrative tone, where appropriate, to make the material more compelling and less dry than in a dissertation.
Balance authority and accessibility: While still demonstrating expertise, ensure that your writing is inviting and understandable to non-specialist audiences.

11. What role does a book proposal play when turning a dissertation into a book?

Answer:
A book proposal is an essential document when turning your dissertation into a book, especially if you are seeking a traditional publisher. The proposal should include:

A summary of your book’s content and main arguments.
A discussion of the target audience and the book’s relevance to that audience.
An overview of competing or similar works.
A detailed outline of the chapters.
Information on your qualifications and expertise on the topic. A strong proposal will help convince publishers that your dissertation, once revised, can be successfully turned into a commercially viable book.

12. What are some common mistakes to avoid when turning a dissertation into a book?

Answer:
Common mistakes to avoid include:

Overloading the book with technical detail: Avoid making the book overly academic or filled with excessive data, methodology details, or jargon that might alienate general readers.
Failing to broaden the scope: Don’t just make minor revisions; ensure the book’s content is expanded and updated to appeal to a larger audience.
Neglecting the narrative flow: A dissertation is often rigid and formal, but a book should be engaging, with a narrative flow that maintains reader interest.
Not revising enough: Don’t assume that the dissertation is “good enough” as-is. The transition from dissertation to book requires significant changes to ensure it resonates with a broader audience.

13. What should I do after completing the manuscript of my book?

Answer:
Once you’ve completed your manuscript:

Review and revise: Ensure that the book is polished, well-organized, and clear.
Seek feedback: Have your manuscript reviewed by academic peers, professional editors, and potential readers.
Submit to publishers: If you’re looking for traditional publication, submit your manuscript or proposal to relevant publishers.
Consider self-publishing: If traditional publishing isn’t the right fit, explore self-publishing options to maintain control over the process.

14. How do I market my dissertation-turned-book?

Answer:
Marketing your dissertation-turned-book involves:

Building an online presence: Create a website or blog to promote your book and share insights on its content.
Social media: Use platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram to engage with potential readers and professionals in your field.
Academic conferences: Present your book at academic conferences or workshops to reach a targeted audience.
Media appearances: Reach out to relevant media outlets, journals, or podcasts to discuss your book and its contributions.

These questions and answers provide a detailed guide to the process of turning a dissertation into a book, covering everything from revisions to marketing and publication.

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