How to Get That Elusive Academic Job 9—the interview (how to talk about turning your diss. into a book)

They will ask you what your next project is. Have an idea! Your next immediate project is to turn your dissertation into a book.

Do you understand the difference between a dissertation and a book? You do? Then skip this post.

You don't? Don't you realize that a book is a PRODUCT that you sell in a shop? And that a dissertation is a TRANSITIONAL OBJECT that turns you from a student into an expert?

So you have to think how you're going to turn your dissertation chapters into book chapters. Don't just say “spruce them up and put in some more arguments.” Have a REAL idea of how this will happen. Work backwards from the assumption that, whatever they say, everyone knows the genuine difference—a diss. chapter is a factory for producing ONE aspect of your eventual expertise. A book chapter is a journey within the BOOK as single OBJECT that takes you from A to not-A (or even to B). It's a progression. Not show and tell. Figure it out from there.