Publishing non-fiction for the general reader
This interactive workshop session aims to encourage researchers to publish non-fiction by learning strategies from the writer’s and editor’s points of view. The Learned Society of Wales is delighted to be collaborating with our Fellow, Professor Hanna Diamond (Professor Emerita of French History, Cardiff University) and Joanna Godfrey (Senior Commissioning Editor, Yale University Press London) to host this session open to early and mid-career researchers in Wales.
Jo Godfrey will draw on her experience at Yale to outline key principles for developing a successful trade book. Jo will provide suggestions on how researchers can identify subjects with broad audience appeal, shape an accessible and compelling writing style, and discuss the relevance of building public-facing engagement to increase the book’s dissemination to the general public. Jo will also address related topics, including peer review and how these models intersect with non-fiction scholarship.
Professor Hanna Diamond will focus on the craft of balancing scholarly depth with readability. Based on her recent publication, ‘Josephine Baker’s Secret War’, Hanna will discuss how she integrated an academic frameworks into the book’s writing, for instance, how she handled evidence and sources in ways that inform the narrative while maintaining momentum for general readers. Hanna will also reflect on strategies for engaging wider audiences in scholarly debates and discuss how trade publications can contribute to academic recognition, highlighting that books aimed at general readers can achieve high scores in REF panels and serve as the foundation for REF impact case studies.
Guest Speakers:
- Professor Hanna Diamond (FLSW), Professor Emerita of French History, Cardiff University
Hanna Diamond is professor emerita of French History at Cardiff University. She did both her undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Sussex. She spent several years teaching and researching in France before taking up a lectureship at the University of Bath in 1993. She was appointed to a chair at Cardiff University in 2014.
An expert on the social and cultural history of France during the Second World War, she has published widely on the period including, Fleeing Hitler: France 1940 (2007) and Women and the Second World War in France 1939-48 (1999). She regularly advises in media and film production as well as working with museums notably the Musée de la Libération de Paris where she co-curated an exhibition on the French exodus of 1940. - Joanna Godfrey, Senior Commissioning Editor, Yale University Press London.
Jo Godfrey is Senior Commissioning Editor for Modern History and Current Affairs at Yale University Press London. She has worked in non-fiction publishing for almost twenty years and previously held roles at OUP, I.B.Tauris and Bloomsbury.
Agenda:
- 1.00-1.05pm: Welcome and Introductions
- 1.05-1.20pm: Writing Trade Books – Insights from Yale
– Understanding audience appeal
– Writing strategies for general readers
– Building a public-facing platform and engaging with media
– Peer review considerations - 1.20-1.35pm: Balancing Scholarship and Accessibility
– Using footnotes to preserve academic frameworks
– Weaving evidence and sources into a narrative
– Keeping readers engaged while maintaining scholarly depth
– Strategies for reaching wider audiences and REF impact potential - 1.35-1.45pm: Breakout Rooms
Please think about your favourite non-fiction book, one that engaged you as a general reader while also conveying complex ideas and scholarly debates, and reflect on the following questions:
(1) What are 2–3 elements that kept you engaged as a reader? Why do you think these features were effective in making complex ideas accessible?
(2) If you were to start writing your own non-fiction book that bridges academic depth with general interest, what do you think would be most challenging for you, and why - 1.45-1.55pm: Question and Answers
- 1.55-2.00pm: Closing Remarks
About the Learned Society of Wales’ Early Career Researchers Network:
The Learned Society of Wales‘ Early Career Researchers (ECR) Network is an interdisciplinary network of researchers working across Wales who are in the early stages of their careers. The Network supports researchers to grow their research networks, engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary opportunities, receive training, and discover new ways of creating impact with research. Find out more:
- Access our latest opportunities by joining the ECR Network
- Find out more about the Network through our ECR Network Website
- Keep in touch by following us on LinkedIn