Category Archives: Publishing

A (Not Entirely) Foolproof Guide to Getting Published for Academics: Part II

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In this post Katya Covrett continues her discussion on how to become a published author. Be sure to check out Part I as well. Covrett is Executive Editor at Zondervan Academic.

Find an editor

An acquisitions editor (also called acquiring or commissioning editor) is the one who seeks out authors and books for a publisher. Some academic acquisitions editors have a focus in a particular discipline, like theology or the Old Testament or biblical studies in general, or in a particular category, such as textbooks or reference books; others are generalists and acquire broadly across the publisher’s spectrum. More→

A (Not Entirely) Foolproof Guide to Getting Published for Academics: Part I

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In a previous post Katya Covrett discussed the shortage of published works by female authors in biblical and theological studies. In this post she offers professional tips on how to get published. Covrett is Executive Editor at Zondervan Academic, responsible for acquiring works in various areas of biblical-theological studies. Originally from Russia, where she served as a translator at Far East Russia Bible College, she came to the US to study the Bible and theology, stumbled into publishing, and has been part of the Zondervan editorial team now for more than fifteen years. She has extensive experience acquiring and editing academic books and actively seeks to support female scholars entering and persisting in the academic publishing world. She has a BA in English Linguistics and an MTS in Systematic Theology and New Testament. She currently serves on the advisory board of Logia, an initiative at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, which seeks to support and encourage women to pursue divinity disciplines at the postgraduate level..

While there is no truly foolproof way to get published, with proper homework and preparation, one may greatly increase their chances. In the next two posts I will go over the basic steps of academic publishing with comments on each and a few “Pro Tips” along the way. At this point I am assuming several things: 1) you are a scholar seeking to publish academically; 2) you already have a desire and motivation to publish; 3) you have a book idea or at least an area of interest for publishing.[1]

I am grateful to my colleagues Nancy Erickson (Zondervan Academic), Stan Gundry (Zondervan Academic), Jim Kinney (Baker Academic), Robin Parry (Wipf and Stock), and Dan Reid (IVP Academic) for reviewing these posts and offering their critical and constructive feedback.

Put together a proposal

Most publishers make their publishing decisions based on a book proposal; most book proposals contain similar information. Here I will outline key elements of a book proposal. More→

What I Learned about Gender (and Diversity) from Christian Academic Publishing

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This post by Katya Covrett originally appeared on A Pilgrim in Narnia blog in December 2015 in response to the blogger’s critique of the Zondervan Academic catalog.

katya 2 low res I am a woman. I am the wife of one and the mother of two, a teen and a tween, so life is full. I am an editor at a Christian publishing house—and an academic editor at that. Nerd that I am, I am more prone to cuddle up with a heavy exposition of Romans or the latest and greatest work of theology—with a red pen to boot—than with a bestselling Amish romance novel. As if I did not already have enough in my life, I am exploring a doctoral program on another continent. I am Russian—not just by birth but by upbringing. As such, I did not grow up in what the popular opinion regards as the “civilized West,” and so, to an extent, I represent a degree of ethnic diversity and can still fake a pretty heavy Russian accent when necessary (and, yes, I have a large cat to go with it).

I came to the United States in the late ‘90s to study in seminary and, undoubtedly, to change the world. A minority among the few counseling-major women in my class, I enrolled in a decidedly academic track, majoring in systematic theology and the New Testament (yes, it is possible). Mere months after graduation I entered the world of Christian publishing as an editorial assistant in Zondervan’s church, reference, and academic division. Within a couple of years I was acquiring academic books. More→