Turning a Foot-in-the-door into a Home…
Dr. Peter Kirwan, editor at Shakespeare Bulletin, outlines the first steps early career scholars can take as they begin publishing their research.
A major imperative in anti-racist work – whether in early modern studies or in any field – is the platforming of new voices and new approaches. As the call-out/in from the Race B4 Race Collective argues, immediate action is necessary in academic publishing to end academic gatekeeping, to ensure that the field no longer ignores ‘those scholars of color whose pieces should have shaped our field but have never been given the chance to be heard’. It’s a call that journal editors are working to respond to.
As the field works to change its core practices, though, emerging scholars still need to work through the questions of how to publish, when to publish, and where to publish. Getting a foot in the door can be intimidating if you’re just beginning on your writing and publishing journey. So, this blog suggests some of the routes you might take to start getting your voice heard, and to turn those feet in the door into a home in the community of published work
Self-publishing:
The explosion of digital platforms, of course, has already gone a long way towards breaking down gatekeeping, as it is easier than ever for online communities to form without needing the approval of institutional gatekeepers. Communities such as MEMOs (Medieval and Early Modern Orients) and blog projects such as ‘Action is Eloquence’ have been crucial in both expanding their respective fields and in developing the profiles of early career scholars. Blogging platforms and other forms of online publishing have also allowed scholars at all levels to begin participating in urgent conversations responding to current events in a timely fashion and reaching large audiences. Platforms as varied as A Bit Lit, Shakespeare’s Globe, and The Sundial have specialised in getting the work of early career scholars out to mass audiences, and often with a particular focus on anti-racist work and early modern studies.
Reviewing:
Another major route into academic publishing early in your career is through reviewing. Reviewing is an area where we urgently need new voices, in order to ensure that the same established voices are not constantly appraising one another’s work. New reviewers also often draw the attention of reviews editors to different kinds of work, and can help reshape a journal’s focus. Most journals in the field publish book reviews, and journals such as Shakespeare Bulletin and Shakespeare (among others) also publish performance reviews. Get in touch with reviews editors, who will often be able to help with free books and theatre tickets, or simply to let them know your areas of expertise and availability so that they can contact you when something appropriate comes up. Reviews editors are grateful for ideas, and suggesting exciting fringe productions or new books by emerging scholars for review can help diversify the field. In addition, The Hare offers the opportunity to review classic books from a fresh perspective, an opportunity used by many early career scholars to revisit foundational works in critical race studies.
The particular value of reviewing is that it also affords you a new mentor, in the reviews editor. A good editor won’t try and standardise your voice or absorb you into a particular way of writing, but will help you to communicate your ideas and approach as clearly as possible. Becoming part of a journal’s community of reviewers is an invaluable way to forge the connections that will help you shape the field.
‘A good editor won’t try to standardise your voice or absorb you into a particular way of writing, but will help you to communicate your ideas and approach as clearly as possible.’
Articles:
When you’re ready, the next stage is usually submitting your first notes or longer articles. Choices about what you publish will vary enormously according to your project and to the opportunities, but even if you are working towards substantial, book-length projects, using journals for shorter pieces that announce your work to the community is an unrivalled way of helping other scholars locate you with invitations for other projects.
The most important thing is to choose your journal. A journal is a kind of community of practice, and you can see lists of editorial board members, previous contributors and special issues, and journal mission statements that will help you judge whether a journal is the right venue for your work. There are two opposing questions you might consider: (1) whether your work aligns with what the journal is already doing; (2) whether your work might offer the journal something they don’t already have.
Reach out to editors in advance. As the editor of Shakespeare Bulletin, I love talking to authors about their ideas for articles ahead of their formal submission. In these conversations – sometimes online, sometimes in person, sometimes over email – I’m able to offer advice for their next steps, including research suggestions and things to consider. Sometimes, too, I’m able to suggest another journal that might be a better fit or reach the audience that the article needs. Our collective goal as journal editors isn’t to reject work; rather, it’s to help make the work as good as possible, and get it to the people who need to read it. Your editors are your collaborators in this.
Part of the furniture…
We don’t want you to feel like a tentative guest in an unfamiliar house; we want you to be part of the furniture (and, ideally, to help us redecorate, if you’re willing). It is not just a responsibility, but the desire, of journal editors to expand their communities of practice and help nurture the best new work. And part of that is letting us know when you’re ready to have the conversation about how our principles relate to you specifically. If you aren’t sure where your work fits in, ask us; and if you’ve got an idea, work with us to make it a reality. In doing so, we’ll hopefully change the field for the better.