Book Chapter Shortcut: April & May 2025 Support and Accountability

  Enroll in Course

Finally ready to finish a book chapter in the most efficient way possible?

In this facilitated 8-week Book Chapter Shortcut, you'll work alongside a cohort of authors to repurpose your writing into a solid draft of a book chapter. This course is designed for authors who have existing writing (notes, a dissertation chapter, conference papers, seminar papers) and need to revise that writing into a publishable chapter. It is NOT designed for authors who merely have an idea for a chapter but have not yet written material.

During the 8-week facilitated cohort, there will be weekly 90-minute coworking workshops, designed to help you make faster progress than you ever thought possible. We'll answer questions and troubleshoot challenges.

The cohort has two meeting time options: Wednesdays from 1-2:30 pm Eastern, 10 to 11:30 am Pacific and Wednesdays from 7:30-9 pm Eastern, 4-5:30 pm Pacific. We will present the same content at both sessions. While we recommend that you choose one consistent meeting time to develop a cohort feel, you are more than welcome to mix and match meeting times to best fit your schedule. You are also more than welcome to attend both sessions if you'd like.

We will also offer one bonus (optional) coworking session/office hour per week on Fridays at 1 pm Eastern.

You will need a copy of The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook to participate. The Chapter Shortcut will use chapters 14-15 of the workbook, though we might recommend exercises in chapters 1-11 to certain participants.



Your Instructor


Katelyn Knox
Katelyn Knox

Course Curriculum



Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts on Apr. 9 and ends on May 28. You will receive access to one unit's worth of material at a time, but you'll never lose access to material once it releases.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? As soon as the materials release, you have permanent access.
Will you read my materials?
This course does NOT provide a review of your materials. We will, however, be happy to answer your questions via comment/text chat and during office hours.
Do I need to have a copy of The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook to enroll in this course?
Yes. Throughout, we'll refer you to chapters from The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook. You can order a copy here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/D/bo205919647.html and use code UCPNEW for 30% off.
What if I am not writing a book based on a dissertation/thesis?
You're still very much welcome! Only a small minority of the material is truly geared exclusively at dissertation-to-book authors. All of the exercises will be relevant to you. That said, you'll need to be sure that you have a majority of your material in some sort of written form. These don't need to be polished chapters--they can be research notes, conference papers, or just drafty writing. But you need to have a good sense of your chapters' evidence (not just an idea for a book).
When will the group meetings be?
You have two options to attend live sessions--the content is the same in both sessions. You can attend on Wednesdays from 1-2:30 pm Eastern; 10 to 11:30 Pacific OR Wednesdays from 7:30-9 pm Eastern; 4-5:30 pm Pacific. While we encourage you to consider choosing one consistent time to develop a cohort experience, you are more than welcome to mix and match meeting times as they suit your schedule. You are also welcome to attend both sessions if you'd like. Recordings of both sessions will be made available in the Teachable course materials. We will also offer one bonus (optional) coworking session and office hour on Fridays at 1 pm Eastern.
What if I am writing a second, third, fourth, etc. book?
We'd still love to have you! See the answer above regarding books not based in dissertations.
How many hours should I expect to work each week?
The exercises are designed to fit into a larger suite of teaching, service, personal, and caretaking responsibilities. We estimate they will take between 5 and 10 hours per week. We will encourage you to work steadily and regularly, but whatever works best for you will work best for us!
What if something comes up halfway through the course, and I can't keep up?
No worries! You can decide to set the work aside, or to continue at a reduced pace. You'll always have access to the recordings and to the work, so you will be able to pick the work back up whenever you are able.
Have a question not listed here?
Email me, Katelyn, at katelyn [at] dissertationtobook.com.
Do you accept institutional payment?
Yes! If we are not already a vendor at your institution, and your department requires us to become a vendor, we charge a $45 processing fee. We are well-versed at completing institutional tax paperwork, submitting invoices, and the like. Just write to me, Katelyn, at katelyn [at] dissertationtobook.com
What if I can't make the live call once (or ever)?
No worries! We record all of the 90-minute sessions and will post them on Teachable once the replay is available.

Get started now!