Mastering the Trade Book
A Three-Day National Retreat
Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts
9-12 June 2025
Scholars are frequently called upon to share their expertise with a diverse range of publics outside the confines of academia—from policymakers to civic organizations to the media. A critical part of this public engagement—and the place where it often begins—is the publication of a book with a “trade press” (i.e., a commercial, non-university/academic publisher, with a powerful marketing and publicity apparatus). Not all academics have a desire to do this kind of work. However, for those who do want to engage with the “public sphere”, there is often confusion about where to begin, and a lack of resources to help with the process. Worse, there are sometimes institutional disincentives, in the form of tenure clocks, skepticism from colleagues, or the pressure to produce “real scholarship” that advances the field.
This three-day retreat – the first of its kind – will bring together scholars from across the country for a unique, immersive experience designed to help them understand all aspects of the transition to writing for popular audiences. Topics will include: the process of finding an agent, landing a commercial book deal, writing in a more accessible register, and other skills related to making the transition into writing for the general public.
The workshop will be led by John Ghazvinian, founding director of Scholars to Storytellers – an initiative aimed at helping senior academics engage with general audiences. Formerly Executive Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Ghazvinian has two decades of experience as a journalist and academic, having written for such publications as Newsweek, The Nation, the Washington Post and the New York Times. He is the author of Untapped: The Scramble for Africa’s Oil (Harcourt, 2007) and America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present (Knopf, 2022) – named by the New York Times as one of “100 Notable Books of 2021”.
Is this retreat the right fit for me?
The retreat is designed to be of value mostly to tenured scholars in the humanities and social sciences who are serious about writing a “trade book”. It is by no means intended to exclude non-tenured academics, scholars of the hard sciences or professional fields (law, business, education, public health, etc), independent scholars, contingent faculty or others. However, such applicants are advised to consider seriously how a trade book might fit into their career goals and whether participation in the retreat is a good use of their funds.
Retreat Schedule
DAY ONE: Monday, 9 June
2-3pm
Session 1: Getting to Know One Another
In this opening session, participants will each share (in 2-3 minutes) what brings them to the retreat, what book project they’re considering shaping into a popular title, where they might be feel stuck or unsure, what they’re hoping to get out of the retreat, etc.
3-5pm
Session 2: An Introduction to the World of Trade Publishing, John Ghazvinian
In this session, Ghazvinian will cover the basics of commercial publishing – how it differs from academic publishing, what to expect, the role of agents, the pros and cons of trade publishing, the psychological challenges of making the transition, and how to cultivate the right mindset.
6-8pm
DINNER
DAY TWO: Tuesday, 10 June
9-10am
Session 3: The Nuts and Bolts of the Book Proposal, John Ghazvinian
This session will provide participants with practical, actionable advice about the nuts and bolts of writing a non-fiction book proposal for a commercial press. It will explain the overview, the bio sketch, the chapter outline, the marketing plan, the comparable titles section and the writing sample—and emphasize the ways in which this process is dramatically different from a grant proposal, PhD prospectus or academic book proposal, in both tone and content.
10-10.15am
COFFEE BREAK
10.15-11.15am
Session 4: The Mysterious World of Agents, John Ghazvinian
This session will delve into the process of finding an agent—explaining what exactly agents do, how they get paid, why it’s so critical to have an agent, how to go about finding one, as well as common pitfalls to avoid.
11.15am-12.15pm
Group Exercise 1: Learning to Put Your Reader First
For this exercise, participants will break into small groups (or pairs). Each participant will be expected to have brought 1-2 pages of writing to share. Participants will read one another’s work, paying special attention to prose, pacing, word choice, narrative style, character, etc – sharing with their partners what they felt worked well and where there might be areas of improvements. Participants will revisit these writing samples at the end of the retreat and reflect on what they’ve learnt.
12.15-1.15pm
LUNCH
1.15-2.15pm
Plenary
Two or three volunteers will share their writing with the whole group, with feedback provided by Ghazvinian and others
2.15-2.30pm
COFFEE BREAK
2.30-3pm
Writing crash course 1: Get Rhythm: The Importance of Pacing, John Ghazvinian
In this 30-minute crash course, participants will learn the importance of rhythm and pacing in their writing. Techniques covered will include playing with sentence length, varying styles of sentence to create dynamic text, getting creative with punctuation, how to start and end paragraphs.
3-4pm
Individual Exercise 1
Participants will spend 10-15 minutes alone, rewriting a paragraph (either of their own writing or someone else’s) with rhythm and pacing in mind. We will then share one or two examples of “before and after” writing with the full group.
4-4.15pm
COMFORT BREAK
4.15-4.45pm
Writing crash course 2: Creating Unforgettable Characters, John Ghazvinian
In this 30-minute crash course, participants will learn the importance of crafting memorable characters. We will consider how to handle the special challenges of long-dead characters, the sensitivities around living characters, the importance of minor and major characters, etc.
4.45-5.15pm
Writing crash course 3: How to Present Quantitative Data without Putting Your Readers to Sleep, John Ghazvinian
In this 30-minute crash course, participants will learn how to present facts and figures in an engaging, narrative style
5.15-5.30pm
COMFORT BREAK
5.30-6pm
Writing crash course 4: The Special Power of the English Language: Romance vs Germanic Words, John Ghazvinian
In this 30-minute crash course, participants will learn how to appreciate and play with the unique registers contained in Anglo-Saxon and Latinate vocabulary, understanding how this powerful tool can dramatically enhance their writing style.
6-6.30pm
Writing crash course 5: Emulation: How to Learn from the Writers You Love, John Ghazvinian
In this 30-minute crash course, participants will learn how to take inspiration from their favourite authors, and move beyond the fear of “copying”.
6.30-8pm
DINNER
8-10pm
Shark Tank!
Open Bar
In this festive evening session, participants will have the opportunity to pitch their book ideas to a panel of literary agents (probably by zoom, but in person if budget allows) in a Shark Tank- style “pitch slam”. Each participant will have 60 seconds to pitch their idea to the agents. Participation is entirely optional, and those who don’t feel as comfortable with the format can observe instead. This is intended as both an enjoyable social event and an educational experience.
Following the pitch slam, Ghazvinian will lead a conversation with the panel of agents, who will be asked to reflect on their experiences working with academics and to share advice on what does and doesn’t work.
DAY THREE: Wednesday, 11 June
9-10am
Individual Exercise 2
Participants will spend 20-25 minutes alone, rewriting a piece of their own work (or someone else’s) using one of the principles discussed in the last four writing crash courses. We will then share and offer feedback.
10-10.30am
COFFEE BREAK
10.30-11.30am
Session 5: The Seven Types of Trade Book You Might Write as an Academic, John Ghazvinian
In this session, participants will be introduced to the concept of “the great reframing” – the process that virtually every academic goes through when they first consider writing a book for a general audience. The emphasis here will be on the importance of reconceptualizing your idea with a lay reader in mind. Understanding that there is no one-size-fits-all way to reframe an academic project into a commercial book idea, we will introduce the idea that most non-fiction trade books fall into one of seven (or more?) basic categories. Which one is yours?
11.30-1pm
LUNCH
1-2pm
Session 6: The View from New York, Alane Mason
In this session, we will be joined—either in person or by zoom (depending on budget)—by Alane Mason, Vice President and Executive Editor at W W Norton, for a moderated, open-ended discussion about whatever participants are interested in.
2-3pm
Session 7: Success Story, Yuko Miki
For this session, we will be joined by Yuko Miki, Associate Professor of History at Fordham University, who has successfully made the transition to writing for a trade press. Miki has recently signed a major deal with Simon & Schuster, and will reflect on what she learned from that process – as well as questions and challenges she now faces as she begins to work on the manuscript.
3-3.30pm
COFFEE BREAK
3.30-4.30pm
Session 8: Marketing and Publicity, Jessica Purcell
This session, led by Alfred A Knopf’s Vice President and Senior Director of Publicity, Jessica Purcell, will focus on the dreaded “marketing plan” and “comparable titles” sections of the commercial book proposal, as well as all aspects of marketing and publicity in the trade publishing world.
4.30-5.30pm
Group Exercise 2: Thinking Commercially
This session will use a recent viral posting on X, by marketing expert Yasmine Khosrowshahi, which cleverly broke down “four years of marketing lessons into minimalistic visuals” and then ask participants to break into groups and consider how each of the visual cues would apply to the writing of a book.
5.30-6.30pm
Session 9: But What about Social Media?? Assal Rad
This session will be led by Assal Rad, who specializes in cultivating social media presence for academics. We will address the importance of “platform” for academics, as well as how to increase your presence on social media.
6.30-8pm
DINNER
DAY FOUR: Thursday, 12 June
9-9.30am
Session 10: What Now? The Nuts and Bolts of the Book Contract, John Ghazvinian
This session covers all aspects of the commercial book contract, including how advances work, payout structures, international and translation rights, e-books, audiobooks, paperbacks, serial rights, film rights, etc.
9.30-10.30am
Session 11: Writing and Placing Op-Eds, David Perry
This session will begin with a video presentation by David Perry, who specializes in helping academics place opinion essays in major national media outlets. We will discuss how to think about Op-Ed writing and maximize your chances of placing a guest essay in a major newspaper or other popular outlet.
10.30-11am
COFFEE BREAK
11am-12pm
Session 12: Influencing the Policy Debate, Scholars Strategy Network
This session will be conducted by a representative of the Scholars Strategy Network. It will focus on how to write policy briefs, white papers, etc, and how to communicate with elected officials or other decision-makers to make your scholarship relevant to the policy debate.
From 12pm
Group Exercise 3 (as time permits): Revisiting your writing
The retreat will conclude with participants breaking into small groups (or pairs) once again, and reading one another’s work – with a view to considering how much they’ve learnt.
FAREWELL LUNCH (UNSTRUCTURED, not included in cost of retreat)