How to revise your thesis into a book

Author: Christabell Ndive

Congratulations! After a lot of hard work you’ve finally got your PhD. You should rightly feel proud of such a significant achievement.

Naturally, you’ll now be thinking about where to publish your work so you can share it with a wider audience. But before you make any decisions, there are some things you might want to consider. We asked some authors to tell us their experiences, which we’re sharing with you here to help you on the journey.

Don’t be tempted by short cuts

Firstly, don’t rush into it. Despite what some people might tell you, publishing as soon as possible, to enhance your prospects of finding a job, is not the right way forward. Everyone knows the market is saturated and the competition is highly competitive, but you need to look at the bigger picture.

“In taking the time to develop my project beyond the thesis, I found the process of getting my doctoral research published much easier in the long run.”

- Daniel Varndell, author of Hollywood Remakes, Deleuze and the Grandfather Paradox 

The reason is, a thesis and a book are two very different bodies of work. Submitting a revised thesis proposal with a modified chapter to a publisher will only meet with rejection and disappointment. 

Book versus thesis – different intents

Understanding the differences between a thesis and a book will ultimately help you move forward more quickly, although it probably doesn’t seem like it right now.

“A monograph is a very different body of work to a thesis.” 

- Daniel Varndell

A thesis is essentially an academic paper, which follows the rules to suit examiners and experts. It showcases the knowledge and expertise embodied by your research. But it’s unlikely that it’ll appeal to many people beyond your examiner, supervisors and close colleagues in your field.

A book, on the other hand, is a completely different entity . Ultimately, a publisher has to make a profit out of selling your work, so it has to appeal to a much wider audience of researchers, and maybe even beyond. Your thesis is just the basis for a new work - your book - and you’ll need to submit an all-new book proposal. Thinking of your book as a new project involves forgetting the academic rules and the people your thesis was written for. You need to take key concepts from the thesis, but significantly rework and develop them.

Daunting? Yes, but worth the extra effort upfront.

“The proposal I eventually submitted was a book proposal, which made the submission process significantly easier.” 

- Daniel Varndell

Speak to your audience

As we mentioned earlier, the audience for your book will be quite different to the audience for your thesis. Imagine you’re talking to your readers – you’ll need to address them in an entirely different voice. Out with the formal academic voice and the weighty theory, and in with the storyteller. Readers of your book won’t all have the same level of understanding about your topic, so you need to engage their interest and hold it. Relax your writing, make it compelling and communicate your great ideas.

“Changing my original thesis into a more publishable book format was the process I enjoyed most. I could be more flexible with the language I used so it opened up a whole new horizon on how to present ideas and arguments and how to communicate with a wider audience.”

- Markus Fraundorfer, author of Brazil’s Emerging Role in Global Governance: Health, Food Security and Bioenergy”

Structure, restructure

The traditional structure of a thesis as an academic paper is far removed from the intellectual journey book readers are seeking. A thesis is long, so you’ll need to cut down and reorganise the content to suit a new, more accessible format. Move the many references and quotes to endnotes or lose them completely.

Identify your main themes and topics and ensure there’s a clear vision overall which will grab readers’ interest. Don’t forget also that book chapters should be coherent entities so they stand alone, as some readers will pick out and read around specific topics only.

Don’t go it alone

Revising your thesis may seem like a formidable task, but there are plenty of people out there who can help you along the way. Many of your colleagues and peers will have been through this process already so tap into their advice. And once you’re on board with a publisher, communicating with the editorial staff will give you the confidence to succeed.

“Crucial to this process – the dissertation to monograph metamorphosis – is a helpful, professional and knowledgeable editorial team.”

- Olga Onuch, author of Mapping Mass Mobilization (2014)

To summarise, follow these top tips for revising your thesis into a book:

• Spend time at the start planning your approach – don’t be tempted by any short cuts.
• Cut the length, and remove the many references and quotes.
• Identify your key themes: rework and develop these so they’re central to the book.
• Rework your writing style: speak to your audience, engage them and hold their interest with a compelling story.
• Ensure your chapters work as coherent entities.
• Seek advice from those with experience.
• Don’t be intimidated by the task!

“To write and publish a book, it takes a village! Make sure you have the right ‘village’ to support you through the publication process and ask many questions along the way.”

- Olga Onuch

Embrace the learning process

As an author, you’ll find that treating the publishing process as a new project delivers benefits all round. In fact it can be an education in itself. You’ll gain a better sense of what an academic book is, in contrast to a PhD thesis. You’ll also get a much more rounded understanding not only of your subject area, but also of the field into which your research is to be received.

Have you just got your PhD? If you’re intending to revise your thesis into a book, or if you just have an idea for a book, fill out this form and an experienced Springer Nature editor will get in touch to discuss your ideas with you.