How do I turn my dissertation into a book manuscript that attracts a publisher’s attention? Many young scholars struggle after their defense to convert their detailed and frequently theoretically dense dissertation into a book manuscript that big presses consider worth publishing. In this panel, we seek to address the biggest problems in the process as well as possible solutions. The panel seeks to raise the following questions:

• What are publishers looking for in a book manuscript, especially if it is the author’s first monograph?
• How do I find the appropriate press for my book manuscript on Southeast Asia?
• How to draft a promising book proposal from a dissertation manuscript that may still be too long?
• Which sections to cut and which to elaborate before I submit the proposal?
• What happens after my proposal is accepted?
• Where do I find help during the conversion process?

Moderated by Benjamin Baumann.