Connecting UI researchers with experts in academic publishing
This new program connects University of Iowa faculty and graduate student researchers with university press editors. The workshop supports faculty and graduate students from disciplines in which publishing a monograph is expected. The Editor-in-Residence program also aims to emphasize the crucial role that publishing professionals play in academia. Starting this Spring, every year the Obermann Center will bring an accomplished editor from a scholarly press to campus for a short residency that includes workshops and presentations.
This program is funded by the Office of the Vice President for Research's Writing for the Public Good P3 initiative.
Join our inaugural Editor-in-Residence, Mark Simpson-Vos, Senior Executive Editor at The University of North Carolina Press, for a faculty book proposal workshop, an interactive graduate student session, and a public lecture.
Spring 2025 Obermann Editor-in-Residence
Senior Executive Editor at University of North Carolina Press, Mark manages acquisitions across disciplines and fields, including religious studies, American culture, popular music, Native American and Indigenous studies, and Civil War era history.
Spring 2025 Opportunities for UI Faculty & Graduate Students
Graduate Student Session
This interactive talk for PhD and MFA students in the writing disciplines will outline the publishing process for first books. The session will guide graduate students through the steps of the academic publishing process, with a focus on demystifying the journey from dissertation/thesis to manuscript to published book. Key topics will include identifying the right academic publisher, understanding peer review, negotiating contracts, and building a strong proposal. Led by Mark Simpson-Vos, Senior Executive Editor at The University of North Carolina Press, the talk will offer actionable advice regarding networking and the realities and rewards of academic publishing.
This event has limited seating; RSVP by April 9.
"Beyond Crisis: Restoring the Creative Partnership between Authors and Publishers"
At this public lecture, Simpson-Vos will discuss the way commentators have since the 1970s routinely trotted out the idea that scholarly publishing is in crisis, and how the stance of publishers in particular has been to shrug off such ideas. In this moment, however, it is impossible to ignore the deep strains within the scholarly publishing ecosystem, amdist increasingly turbulent times for American higher education. Lament over these circumstances is easy to find, and necessary. But for those of us committed to the life of the mind and the power of the word, we need to focus on the art of the possible and get serious about doing what we can to ease the strains.
Simpson-Vos will offer ideas for what can be done, centered on the time-tested values of peer reviewed scholarly content, the public goods ideals of the university, and a sense of common cause between authors and publishers, writers and editors.
Free and open to all, but RSVP by April 9 is required.
Faculty Book Proposal Workshop
For this workshop, 4–5 faculty members will submit book proposal drafts for a collaborative feedback session led by the Editor-in-Residence. The session is designed to help authors craft a compelling book proposal, with a focus on crafting a strong pitch, identifying target audiences, and outlining the project’s structure. The workshop’s goal is for participants to walk away with a strong and cohesive book proposal, increasing their chance of securing a book deal.
Apply by 5:00 p.m. March 10.