Rating: 3 stars
Headline: Insightful guidance on academic publishing, at the cost of a slightly condescending tone
Review:
A publisher with over forty years experience in various publishing roles, Charles Bewlay comes to the table with a wealth of extensive knowledge, a significant factor that helps support the basis of his debut title, How Academics Get Published. Coming in at 81 pages, this is a book which by all accounts intended as a short read for any would-be academics wishing to see their work in print.
Throughout the book, Bewlay provides plenty of informative guidance and countless supportive illustrative examples. This includes how to format material for academic textbooks, referencing and comprehensive data tables and graphs. A large number of helpful tips and author anecdotes are dotted at key intervals within chapter. As a book, How Academics Get Published is also well referenced in itself, with the author providing several other notable texts for further reading at the end of the book.
Although it comes in with a shorter page count, the length is more than made up for by the density of text on the page. It is this, coupled with the variation of differing font styles and colours that can make the text feel somewhat overwhelming and distracting at points. There are also instances where the tone of voice comes across as somewhat condescending. For example, when Bewlay provides an anecdote of when he confronted a teacher for photocopying a Maths textbook for classroom uses. Although it is true that copyright law needs to be taken into serious consideration by any academic, I know from personal experience (as a student) and indirect experience (many members of my family are teachers) that the photocopying of academic textbooks is commonplace in the English educational system to the point of acceptance. I do not think Bewlay means to belittle, but within this book the tone of voice can feel somewhat misplaced.
How Academics Get Published contains a number of useful nuggets of guidance and information. It is clear that Bewlay has approached this book with a strong will to impart his experience on a fresh readership. What is less clear is exactly which age demographic of readers he is looking to educate, and the tone of voice used to engage with them. As reference guides go, it is a good starting point for readers, but not necessarily the end goal.
AEB Reviews
Links:
Reedsy Discovery Review: AEB Reviews – “How Academics Get Published” by Charles Bewlay
Purchase Link: “How Academics Get Published” by Charles Bewlay (Amazon)
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