🧵It’s fun to talk about the happy parts of getting published & reviewed. Most of the time, academic book reviews are largely positive. But sometimes, reviews hurt. When I had this experience, I needed to take a beat to work through it, so I’ll share what I leaned into in case it helps you, too.(1/x)

Recently I spent some time emailing authors I'd worked with in the last year. I wasn't looking for more work. I genuinely wanted an update on their projects. I promise that after an editor has poured through your manuscript they are invested! I was delighted to receive this response. #AcademicSky

As a journal editor, PLEASE PLEASE don’t ignore review requests or take one on and disappear. It adds so much time to the review process. Just decline or let editors know if you cannot complete the review anymore. #AcademicWriting

The Editorial Ally will turn four this fall, and I was delighted last week when one of my first clients, a dissertation-to-book author, reached out about working together on her second book. Working with authors throughout the arc of their career is a true joy of this job. #AcademicSky #editing

In writing, change isn’t bad. It’s inevitable. If we believe that “writing is thinking,” then we have to accept that our ideas will shift as we put them on the page. As I explain in today’s TEA Delivered, this evolution “doesn’t mean you failed, it means you wrote.” open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

Learning to trust your "gut feeling" is one of the hardest parts of being a writer (maybe of being a human?!). Many scholars want to finish a project over the summer months. Trust yourself to know when it's done. #AcademicSky #amediting #writing #academia #academicwriting

Grateful for some 🔥 professional development this week. ✔️PIP academic editing book club on John Warner's "More than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI" ✔️IPEd program on trauma-informed editing I really needed the enthusiasm, deep thinking, & community of these events. #AcademicSky

Platform announcer at Victoria as our train pulls away: Driver, take care of these wonderful people. People take of each other. Peace.

We talk about athletes being particular with their gear & equipment, but you should see what I just did to my desk to get it ready for "line editing with notes" this morning. Right pen, right paper, adjust the computer & monitor... I'm practically ready for the World Cup. 🤣😅 #LFG(?!) #AcademicSky

Quick reminder re image descriptions. The standard order of measurements for two-dimensional objects (e.g., paintings) is height by width. This means that "landscape orientation" = smaller # by bigger #. "Portrait orientation" = the opposite. For more about image captions/credits ⬇️ #AcademicSky

discrete vs discreet

Many academics I know are starting to refine their summer writing goals, and some of them plan to polish a manuscript to submit for peer review or production. If you are doing your own line editing, I have a few tips for you in today's TEA Delivered. #AcademicSky open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

BUILDING SCHOOLS, MAKING DOCTORS, was reviewed in Journal of History of Medicine and Allied Sciences & Annals of Science. Both reviewers understood what I wanted to contribute to architectural history & medical history. It's a privilege to be part of these conversations. Links below. DM for PDFs.

Spring has finally arrived in Upstate New York. The confidence. The audacity. The miracle. Every year.

The information the reader needs to *understand* an argument differs from what the author needs to *generate* an argument. Maybe you did a deep dive into farming to generate the argument, but the reader only needs a fraction of that info to understand the argument. open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

🧵Confident writers trust the reader. At the sentence level, "trusting the reader" means removing redundancies designed to direct the reader's interpretation of your ideas. For example: It is *notable* that Kasey's case is a *unique* one. Here the writer gives the same information twice. (1/2)

Many authors worry when their research intersects with a field that they don't know as well as their primary area of study. 1. You don't need to conduct orals-level reading in the new topic. 2. You do need to read enough in the other discipline to understand (1/2)

Although scholars rarely talk about vulnerability in academic writing, it is real for many of us. I can't offer any silver bullets, but I can offer some tools that have helped me, and the comfort of knowing you are not alone, in today's TEA Delivered. #AcademicSky open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

I was delighted last week when a client's book arrived in the mail. In this case, I edited an early draft of the author's chapter for an edited volume. For most authors there will be a point (many points?) when a finished book feels impossible. Keep going! Books do get published! #AcademicSky

Authors often tell me that they don't know what to write in the conclusion; they've already said what they want to say & a summary feels redundant. Try the format "because THIS (what you have demonstrated in the chapter, article, or book), then THAT (a larger take-away or so what)." #AcademicSky

We are in the midst of a snow squall. Betsy and Igor just finished lap two. Onward.

A meticulous line edit is time consuming (if the author does it) & expensive in money or goodwill (if a professional or friend does it). Authors often ask me if the manuscript needs to be thoroughly line edited before peer review. Learn more in this TEA Delivered. open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

It's raining steadily here. Betsy and Igor are on lap three so far this morning. One foot in front of the other, friends.

Every day at 9:55 am, Betsy--petite and white haired--walks slowly and determinedly past my office window to Igor's house, where he waits, cane in hand at the end of his driveway. For the next hour, they walk the block together before reversing the process: Igor bids farewell (1/2)

75 times... or more 🤪

Some days are meh. It's okay. Keep writing. Keep going. #AcademicSky #PhDSky #academia #writing #amediting

I don’t know whether you know this but my book is Open Access and you can read it for free on your kindle via Amazon (where it is the number one health policy download!). Also totally open access with extra resources online at jimcrowintheasylum.com

This morning my friend gave her little girl a 'mobile phone'. Her little girl (later to me): I've got an app on my phone! It's really good. Me: You have? Little girl: Yes. I put maths in and it tells me the answer. She shows me her phone. It is a calculator.

Cool opportunity to work at the intersections of climate/environmental history and history of medicine! History and Medicine – Associate Professor or Professor with Tenure – McMaster University Apply by March 31st niche-canada.org/2026/03/05/h... #envhist #histmed #climhist #cdnhist

Authors often assume that the narrative arc--the twists & turns that the argument takes--should be self-evident to the reader. Spoiler: it's only self-evident to the reader if the author clearly explains it! Learn more in today's TEA Delivered #AcademicSky #PhDSky open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

Great post by @goldenrod-ed.bsky.social. I often get asked what to do if you need extra time to submit your manuscript to the acquisitions editor. I also encourage authors to reach out soon, be transparent, and set a mutually agreeable and realistic new deadline. #AcademicSky

"The essence of editing is ethics; it’s the act of caring for the expression of the thoughts of another as if they were your own."

"Writing book proposals may not be *fun* for authors, but recognizing proposals as a tool for the author may make the project feel less like a hurdle to complete & more like a step toward conceptualizing the book." Learn more in today's TEA Delivered! #AcademicSky open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

I'm holding space for everyone who is researching, writing, & teaching even as they are being told (by some) that their work is not valuable. Perhaps today we each reach out to a person whose work is being actively discouraged & give them a word of encouragement. #Academicsky #amediting #writing

Greetings on this Monday in February, folks. There's a lot going on to make us scared, sad and overwhelmed. It's important to know what's going on of course. It's also important to look after our mental health. Did anyone notice anything silly, interesting, joyful, lovely or simply mundane today? 🙏❤️

The AAHM, in conjunction with the AAHN @aahnhistnursing.bsky.social, is pleased to share details about our 2026 Annual Meeting in Buffalo, NY. Join us for what promises to be a dynamic gathering of scholars! Learn more about our upcoming meeting here: histmed.org/buffalo-2026...

A favorite tip from my sister: "Katherine, you are going to have to drop some balls. Just do your best to drop the balls that bounce rather than the ones that break." I am dropping a few balls this week, and I'm fairly confident they are the bouncing variety. Hang in, friends. #AcademicSky

Pulling out a draft you haven't read in a while? Block the time to read it front to back, & try to adopt the mindset of your intended reader. Then don't stop & revise as you go. Make notes of structural challenges (& successes), & underline or star the places that need line editing. #AcademicSky

Over the summer, I refreshed my work space with potted plants & a new weaving from a dear friend. I've been amazed at the ways these small changes have helped me to focus & warmed my spirit, especially in this bleak time. What do you do to make your work space supportive & productive? #AcademicSky

🚨I finally wrote a post on one of the questions I receive most frequently: how do I write figure captions and credits (and what is the difference anyway)?🚨 #amediting #AcademicSky #historians #academia #imagecredits #images #photographs #paintings #drawings #plans open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

I learned so much about the early buildings at Meharry during my trips to Nashville. Now you can visit from home.

Thursday Tip: Justifying your research STARTS--not ends--with describing a gap in the literature. You also need to explain why filling this gap matters. Often this process involves identifying the stakes of your project. Here are some useful questions for getting started. #AcademicSky #amediting

A break from the doomscrolling. My favorite is the people surreptitiously reading a book together.

Only have 10 min with your writing today? Make a list of all the section titles for the chapter or article. Then check to see if they provide an introduction to each section's argument (not just its topic). Titles-as-arguments signal the evolution of the chapter--and your ideas--to the reader.

Most writers recognize (and possibly even accept!?) that in many ways writing is inherently inefficient. We can, however, make parts of the writing process more efficient. I give concrete advice in today's TEA Delivered. #AcademicSky #editing #revising #academia open.substack.com/pub/theedito...

For many authors, learning to trust their instincts is very difficult, especially (but not only) when they are an emerging scholar. There is no magic formula for knowing when a manuscript is ready for peer review or ready to go to the copyeditor. But trust yourself. You know more than you realize.

I created this image last February, never imagining it would be just as--if not more--relevant a year later. Onward, friends. Ever onward. Somehow. Together. #AcademicSky

This week includes some generous chunks of professional development on my calendar. I'm grateful to former me who blocked the time, & I'm finding myself excited by the new ideas I'm learning and engaging with. What do you schedule to make sure it gets included in your workflow? #AcademicSky

Quick tip: EVIDENCE VS ARGUMENT Authors frequently tell me that a chapter "is organized around" a specific case study, painting, or event. Using a concrete example to make your point is often a good strategy. But it's important to understand the difference between *evidence* & *argument.*