Accept an invite to write a book chapter?

[coolswimmer800]

A colleague in my field invited me to write a book chapter on a topic that is outside the scope of my research interests, but I could probably write about it good enough since I have taught about the topic several times before. The publishing company is reputable and the book topic fits with my social science discipline.

I have no idea how any of this book writing works, so I am wondering if there are any pros and cons I should consider in making my decision?

In 3 years, I go up for tenure, so I am thinking having a book chapter may help? Unless it might be better that I focus this expended time on writing more papers and grants (which I have a long to do list) that are more aligned with my research area?

[jerseyjay]

My initial view, without knowing the details of your field and your school, is that your time would be better spent writing a peer-reviewed article that would count towards tenure. That said, here are some things to consider:

What are the tenure requirements at your school? My school (which is largely a teaching school) counted peer-reviewed book chapters for tenure, but I have to say this is rare in my experience. More research-oriented schools tend to treat them as, if anything, less valuable than a peer-reviewed article.

Is this a collection of peer-reviewed research articles or is it a textbook? The former may have some value for tenure, but the latter will probably not. At some places such a publication might count towards teaching or service, but not research.

What is the norm for your field? Are you in a "book field"? If so, such a chapter might help--or it might appear as CV padding to hide the fact that you don't have a monograph of your own.

What is the opportunity cost? Will getting up to speed on the subject and writing a chapter take you away from the research you need to be doing for tenure?

Is the book such that it would help establish your reputation or would it not really mean much?

Is there some other benefit (e.g., working with well known researchers in the field, etc.) that might make this worthwhile?

I suppose that my advice is to ask a senior colleague in your department or your chair to get a sense of how valued this would be.

[mamselle]

A colleague in my field invited me to write a book chapter on a topic that is outside the scope of my research interests, but I could probably write about it good enough since I have taught about the topic several times before. The publishing company is reputable and the book topic fits with my social science discipline.

Not trying to be snarky here, we all make mistakes, but how one writes should be "well enough," not "good enough."

M.

[Morden]

I recently published an edited collection of essays with a respectable university press--it took over four years from initial contacts with authors to publication. And that's without any major delays along the way. This chapter probably will not be published in time to include it in your tenure package. And the time you spend working on it (especially since it's not your specific area or an offshoot of an existing research project) could be time spent doing other things.

[bacardiandlime]

I recently published an edited collection of essays with a respectable university press--it took over four years from initial contacts with authors to publication. And that's without any major delays along the way. This chapter probably will not be published in time to include it in your tenure package. And the time you spend working on it (especially since it's not your specific area or an offshoot of an existing research project) could be time spent doing other things.

Yes, I had an essay accepted in 2003. The book has never appeared.

Depending on your field, an essay in a collection won't hurt, and may look good. It is no substitute for peer-reviewed articles (and of course a monograph if you need a book for tenure).

[Sun_Worshiper]

I'll second everything in JerseyJay's post, especially to ask someone in your department who will be evaluating your tenure file. At my place, a book chapter is not worth much (far less than a peer reviewed article - as it should be imo), but it does indicate that you have some status in the field, as someone thought highly enough of you to ask.

Putting tenure aside, writing book chapters can be fun and may be accompanied by an invitation to a small workshop, which is good for networking and should include some wining and dining.

[Ruralguy]

Honestly, its almost pointless to ask us, as it is so dependent on school, department and field.

[Parasaurolophus]

As the others have said, it all pretty much depends on the specific tenure requirements in your department (and, of course, how close you are to meeting them independently of this particular task). Collections can indeed be slow to publish, but it's also not inconceivable that it could be out within three years. It pretty much all hinges on the editor and how much they're on top of things (and, also, what their timeline looks like). If the final submission date is anticipated to be a couple of years from now, then I would anticipate delays past your tenure bid.

For my part, I generally accept such invitations. They don't count for much in my field, CV-wise, but they don't hurt, either, and they help me to build up my research profile and improve my name-recognition. I'd say it's about as much work as a regular article, which for me means about a month of dedicated daily work for the initial submission, provided I don't have to do much reading up. I tend to think it's worth delaying other projects that much because it's a bird mostly in the hand, etc. But--and this is a big caveat--we don't have tenure at my institution, and even if we did, my publication record would be a slam dunk for that portion of the evaluation. So I don't really have any deadlines or constraints with respect to my other projects.

I've enjoyed authoring the chapters I've authored. They've all been on things I'm interested in but on which I'm not otherwise an expert. I'm glad I wrote them. One was based on a somewhat harebrained premise, and it's one of my most cited works to date (I expect it will overtake everything by the end of the year, because it's on a popular subfield, compared to my usual haunts).

[Cheerful]

I've authored a couple of book chapters for books that had contracts but were never published.  I never worked with the people and publishers involved again.

I've authored other book chapters for books that had excellent academic editors and support staff, and the books were published by reputable presses in a timely manner.  Mostly good experiences.  Valuable for networking.  Worthy additions to the overall CV.  If the book is good, a book chapter can lead to future opportunities like invitations to conference panels, special issues of journals, future book chapters.

I've read horrible book chapters and horrible journal articles.  I and my students have benefitted from many excellent book chapters.  I like good book chapters more than journal articles.

If your colleagues who will vote on your tenure frown on any and all book chapters, important to know.

[AmLitHist]

I've authored a couple of book chapters for books that had contracts but were never published.  I never worked with the people and publishers involved again.

I've authored other book chapters for books that had excellent academic editors and support staff, and the books were published by reputable presses in a timely manner.  Mostly good experiences.  Valuable for networking.  Worthy additions to the overall CV. If the book is good, a book chapter can lead to future opportunities like invitations to conference panels, special issues of journals, future book chapters.

I've read horrible book chapters and horrible journal articles.  I and my students have benefitted from many excellent book chapters.  I like good book chapters more than journal articles.

If your colleagues who will vote on your tenure frown on any and all book chapters, important to know.

I share/agree with the bolded. My whole career has been at a CC, and we aren't expected to publish. Also, in addition to Cheerful's comments about networking and such, book chapters are a lot of fun for me and a way to remind myself I actually can do more than fix grammar on crappy Comp I papers (since I don't have the time/resources to devote to articles or monographs--those will come post-retirement, I hope!), and they impress the pants off my colleagues, dean, and admins (most of whom have Walden/U of Phoenix-type EdD's).

[mamselle]

This actually points up an important question: what is your status where you are, and what is the status of your school?

Those figure into the decision as well.

M.

[jerseyjay]

In 3 years, I go up for tenure, so I am thinking having a book chapter may help? Unless it might be better that I focus this expended time on writing more papers and grants (which I have a long to do list) that are more aligned with my research area?

I think this is the relevant part of the OP. Even so, it depends what type of school you are at, what the tenure requirements are, and what else you have or would do.

For me, I had published a handful of articles and a monograph (I am in history) by the last year of the tenure track. Thus agreeing to be an editor of an edited volume made some sense. It deepened my connections in the field, helped expand my reputation and also breadth of research. My dean also liked it since it pointed to continued scholarly engagement. I would like to think that the book will have more of an impact on my specialization than a peer-reviewed article would have. I also had fun with the edited volume.

That said, if I had not been in a strong position already, I would not have agreed to have done this. (Of course, contributing a chapter is less work than co-editing, but it is also less prestigious.) We began talking about the book in early 2019, and the book will probably be published in 2023. So it is a slow process, and is not valued so much as single-authored books or peer-reviewed articles.

[Related to being slow, a collected volume is like a video game: it can be game over at any time. Contributors can fall through; editors can move on; peer reviewers can axe the volume after years' of work have been put into it..... And most of this is beyond your control, especially as just a single contributor.]

So if you are hoping to have the chapter in the book be an important part of your tenure file, I think you should think again. And depending upon where you are at, it might not count for much at all. And it will take time away from other research.

Is it supposed to be a feather in your cap or the entire cap?

So, again, my advice is to reach out to a senior colleague and ask.

[Kron3007]

I usually pass on chapters.  In my world, they are "worth" less than peer reviewed articles, but take about as much work. 

The exception is for books that have particular value.  I recently published a chapter in a specific book because it will likely become a go to book for the field.  In this case, it was worth it I think.

[bio-nonymous]

IMHO book chapters are not worth the time it takes to write them--especially if it is not exactly in your research wheelhouse and will require extensive research to produce. In biomedical sciences they are not as important as full-length research articles and many times they are not as highly cited since they are behind the paywall of a book purchase. Writing a review article on the same material would often be much more impactful for your career. Sometimes a PI will pass off writing a book chapter to a Postdoc, and take senior author position to provide editing--the postdoc wants a CV line and the PI gets one for "free"; so this works. However, as everyone has mentioned, this is highly dependent on field, sub-field, career status, and place of employment.

[mamselle]

Also, value depends on how quickly pubs "age" in your field.

In some cases, a book is useful 25 years later.

In others, 25 days post-pub, and it's toast.

M.