FHI’s Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops Keep Fostering Academic Excellence

For 17 years and counting, the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute has been the go-to source for ongoing collaborative support for scholars in the interpretive social sciences and humanities working on not-yet-published books.

The Provost's Office and Trinity College of Arts & Sciences currently support the Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops program, which was first funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and addresses the purposeful need for feedback at a crucial point in the book-writing process.

A signature program in its own right, the book workshops are now part of a robust slate of services offered by Sylvia Miller, FHI's Director of Scholarly Publishing and Research Development, which includes proposal consultations for fellowship, grant, or book proposals as well as “publishing literacy” events, such as the popular From Dissertation to Book event.

The program's primary goal is to encourage a robust, detailed, cooperative discussion about a complete manuscript draft, a next-level type of peer review to help the author devise a revision plan. 

Since FHI's inception and the creation of the Faculty Book Manuscript workshop, 54 books have been published by its participants and 19 of those have received award recognition.  

Peer reviews solicited by the publisher have a similar purpose but lack this crucial interactive component. By giving authors thorough and qualitative expert feedback through discussion, these workshops aim to turn a good manuscript into a great one.

A varied group of interlocutors, including two external senior scholars, an acquisitions editor from a university press, and local faculty members from Duke University and nearby institutions, participate in the workshop's four-hour sessions. 

These conversations are designed to provide the author with insightful information from multiple perspectives about the importance of their scholarship and its wider implications.

What’s more, the manuscript workshop structure allows authors to gather nuanced, in-depth critiques at a time when faculty are navigating the pressures of tenure and promotion. Scholarly work can often become insular, and presenting a paper at a conference rarely offers the kind of detailed, multi-perspective feedback that can catalyze a transformative revision process for an entire book manuscript. Thus, the collaborative spirit of FHI’s program shines through most in that regard.

Workshop authors interact with a multidisciplinary “dream team” of specialists selected by the FHI committee and the faculty author. Particularly for new faculty members who might not be familiar with the academic scene in the area, this collaborative environment fosters a much wider intellectual community.

The program's ability to build a network of supporters around the author is among its greatest benefits. In addition to offering productive criticism, this network has the potential to become a priceless professional tool that junior faculty members can use to help them deal with the challenges of academic life.

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Additionally, the inclusion of an acquisitions editor from a university press offers the potential for further professional advancement, as it provides an insider’s perspective on what scholarly publishers look for in final submissions. Following the workshop, the editor can help the author to devise a just-right revision plan based on the discussion.

The success and reputation of the program extend beyond the university. At the 2022 international meeting of the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes, FHI’s Faculty Book Manuscript Workshops garnered attention as a model for other institutions, and Miller is regularly called upon by other institutions to share the workshop model as well as do’s and don’ts of proposal writing.

The workshops’ impact can be seen in the success of its alumni, many of whom have gone on to secure tenure and publish their manuscripts with top scholarly presses. Since 2008, over 50 Duke faculty have had book manuscript workshops, with over half of those participating coming into the program as assistant professors.

The program is a prime example of the kind of creative faculty development that enhances individual careers and the academic environment overall through a demanding blend of interdisciplinary collaboration, professional commentary, and institutional support. The manuscript workshops serve as an example of scholarly mentoring and demonstrate the transformative potential of community-driven scholarly development.