How to write a monograph
For you as a researcher, writing is writing research papers—and perhaps proposals for funding—but you may have occasionally thought about writing a book or, in publishers’ jargon, a monograph.
Monographs, theses, and journals
A monograph is a one-off product, as against “serials” or periodicals, which are usually open-ended series of publications on a given topic. Serials or journals have volumes and issues—at least they did, until digital publishing became the norm in journal publishing.
Theses differ from monographs in many ways, including the following:
- Theses are written as part of the requirements for a degree, typically a doctorate degree.
- Theses may be made available through depositories of universities but are not available through normal channels of the publishing trade.
- Theses typically carry a certificate in the form specified by the entity that confers the doctorate degree, whereas books carry no such page.
Tackling the task of writing a book
The task of writing a book (or a monograph) is bound to appear daunting, but the trick to completing it is to divide it into manageable chunks and to follow a systematic process.
Write the blurb
As a copyeditor, I am sometimes asked by academics and researchers whether I would copyedit the book they are planning to write. My response is always as follows:
“Imagine that your book is already published and its copies are on display in a few bookstores. Someone visiting the bookstore picks up a copy and turns to the matter on the outside back cover. What text would they find there?” In other words, ask them to send me the “blurb” (again, a bit of publishing jargon), which is a short piece of text (200–300 words) describing what the book is all about, who should read it, and why.
This is one way to begin thinking in more concrete terms about the book you want to write. Writing the blurb forces you to focus on the essentials. Also, writing that short piece of text is far easier than even thinking about writing the entire book, which may easily run to 60,000–80,000 words.
Draw up the table of contents
For those who come up with a blurb, my next question is this: What would the potential reader see on the contents page? Thinking about the contents page forces you to define not only the scope of the proposed monograph but its structure and organization. What are the proposed chapters? In what sequence would you present them? Ideally, for each chapter, you should also be ready with at least its main headings if not the subheadings under each main heading. You can call this outlining and make it as simple or as elaborate as you wish: the old-fashioned way is to use roman numerals in capitals for the highest level (I, II, III, and so on), then capital letters for each subdivision under that level, then lowercase roman numerals (i, ii, iii, and so on), and finally lowercase letters. Alternatively, Microsoft Word also offers you the option of “Outline view.”
Start fleshing out the skeleton (outline)
The hardest part is to start generating text, fleshing out the outline, or building the structure once you have the framework in place. This is also the task that is going to take you the longest, which is why it is best to have a routine, a fixed slot [1] of at least 45 minutes every day or every other day or twice a week or whatever, reserved solely for writing. Maybe, you cannot think of anything to write when the slot starts. Never mind: the important thing is to persevere and not quit. You must not do anything else in that slot. One somewhat extreme piece of advice is this [2]:
“If I cannot think of anything to write, I write ‘I cannot think anything to write... okay, now I thought of this new idea on...’ ”
Kick-start each writing session and make the most of it
You will find that words come to you more readily if you have “primed” your mind by talking to someone—ideally someone who represents your target readership—about what you are going to write. That talk does not have to be even in the language in which you are going to write. Next best is to mull over the previous day what you are going to write the next day.
Set a target for each writing session—and that target should be defined in terms of the number of words; say 500 words an hour. That way, each session will be productive.
Differences across the sciences, social studies, and humanities
Although this article is aimed as researchers in any field, it is worthwhile keeping in mind that writing style differs across broad fields. The vocabulary is bound to vary, but even the syntax can be different: for instance, one study [3] showed that sentence structure is simpler in the sciences but more elaborate, with more embedded clauses and complex sentences, than that in the humanities. Writing in the sciences also tends to be more concrete because the matter is concrete—even when those concrete objects, whether stars beyond the galaxy or atoms or genes, are well beyond what can be perceived through our senses. Philosophy or sociology or literary criticism, on the other hand, tackles matters that are essentially abstract. Stylometrics, or data-driven analyses of writing styles, can reveal even more differences but remember that in writing a monograph, you are not constrained by the IMRaD structure but have the liberty to develop your exposition to suit the contents.
Finding a publisher
See if you can get a publisher interested in your manuscript. Most major publishers prefer to consider manuscripts that have been submitted to them by literary agents, and it may be a good idea to engage one. However, most scientific and technical publishers also advise aspiring authors to use a book proposal form [4] available from publishers’ websites. Proposals typically require you to supply the following details:
- Target readership
- Estimated length of the book (number of words)
- Proposed table of contents
- A sample chapter
- Your CV
- Titles of similar books already published and a brief description of how yours will be different
Concluding remarks
Writing a monograph may seem a daunting task, but it is manageable and can even be enjoyable because you are free of the rigid IMRaD format typically demanded of research papers, nor are you required to confine the writing only to original research: instead, you can present your unique understanding of the subject in a structure particularly suited for the job. And remember that monographs have a longer shelf life than most research papers and also represent a substantial contribution to your field—and therefore look good on your CV.
Maybe there is a good book inside you: here’s to its first chapter!
References
[1] Silvia P J. 2019. How to Write a Lot: a practical guide to productive academic writing, 2nd ed., pp. 29–33. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. 146 pp.
[2] Orosz G. 2021. How I motivate myself to write. https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/writing-motivation/
[3] Leong P A. 2021. Writing in the sciences and humanities: a clause-complex perspective. Word 67: 137–158
[4] https://authorservices.wiley.com/author-resources/book-authors/submit-your-proposal/index.html
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