Create a Better Book With Daniela Blei
Daniela is our deputy director and head of editorial services. Here she talks about making the most of working with an editor.
Daniela Blei
Deputy Director & Head of Editorial Services
Where her writers publish: Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, UC Press, UNC, and other leading presses
Where she publishes: The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, New Republic, Los Angeles Review of Books
On the side: volunteer interpreter in the Bay Area's immigration courts
Bonus: works in both English and Spanish
Q&A
You recently wrote about why academics need to read more for Inside Higher Ed. What sparked that idea?
I want us all to kick the academic habit of reading only for content. Style isn’t just decoration — it makes the reading worth doing!
So much of what you do focuses on structure. How do you actually help people get their book into shape?
Each project is different, but I'm always trying to move the writer’s attention from their own material to what a reader needs to know — and when. We test a few organizing principles against the material, whether that’s chronology, theme, problem-solution, or spatial/geographic. One logic has to govern the whole book, and then secondary structures can live inside the chapters. Getting that decision right is a large part of the work.
What is book coaching, and how is it different from editing?
Editing works on a draft that already exists; book coaching helps you decide what to draft in the first place. We call it Book Development: turning research into a concept with a real argument, a structure, and a clear sense of who it’s for. I help writers create a map to help them reach a specific destination, the place they want to get to but couldn’t find. This works whether you’re turning a dissertation into a book or starting your next one with just an idea.
What is developmental editing? And when should you do it?
Developmental editing is an elusive term. It captures everything from reshaping a book’s entire structure to sharpening and clarifying language at the sentence level. Every editor draws the line somewhere different. I like to work with every aspect of a book. I might ask, “Why should anyone care?” “Why is your best material buried in chapter four?” I also sharpen your prose and work to bring out your voice.
I don’t need a full manuscript to start. We can work with a chapter draft. Unlike book coaching, which is collaborative and conversational, developmental editing means I take the draft away and read the whole thing to see what should be cut, moved, expanded, or is missing entirely.
On that note, what would you tell a new professor who asked "How do I turn my dissertation into a book?"
First, realize that your reader has changed. The dissertation proved your academic bona fides to a committee. Now you're writing a book to make readers engage with your work. You need to make a real argument. Second, the stakes are now more important and the lit review less so. A non-specialist should understand from the opening pages why your book matters.
Bonus: What do you wish we had asked you?
Because my approach to editing begins earlier than other editors, I’d ask: “When is your favorite time to get involved with a book project?”
It’s before the writing begins, when a scholar has expertise and a compelling idea but needs help turning that expertise into a book with a clear argument, structure, and audience.
Would You Like Help creating an engaging book that makes a bigger impact?
Find out more about our editorial services
Daniela has helped countless academic writers move from big idea to book launch. And now more than ever the world could benefit from intelligent research that reaches more people. We’d love to talk to you about where you want to go next and how we can help you get there.
