A timeline of getting a book published

In a couple of months there should be a book by me on the structure of Ecclesiastes that you can buy. It will have the same title as my Masters thesis:

Seeing what Qohelet Saw: 

the structure of Ecclesiastes as alternating panels of observation and wisdom.

I was thinking about how to explain the process of going from zero book to book. In some ways it could go back to my undergrad B.Div (2008-2011) at Moore Theological College, and the foundation that gave me in critical thinking and biblical languages. But I remember before that hearing the book preached at church, and reading Barry Webb's Five Festal Garments, where he works through the megillot, including Ecclesiastes. I remember really enjoying it as my first biblical studies book.

Fast forward to 2016 where I preached through the book at church. As with every series, the first thing I needed to get clear was the structure, and realising (a) that no one agreed on a structure of the book, and (b) that I thought I had seen something no one else had identified, pursuing this for a MTh seemed like a thing to do.

My initial proposal looked nothing like what it ended up as; initially it was looking at the different genres present in Ecclesiastes as revealed by my structure (narrative, poetry, wisdom, the frame narrator) and allowing figures from the past to shape our reading of the book (Lacoque/Ricoeur, Alter, Kierkegaard, Aristotle). The thought was I'd quickly knock the structure out, and then spend more time doing thinking and interacting. It didn't take too long before the structure alone would be more than enough to keep me busy for three years.

Anyway, I applied, was accepted, and started pretty much straight away. I worked very sporadically on it for the first year and a half, which included my supervisor having his long service leave and sabbatical, with another supervisor taking over during that time. So after about a year's break we met again and then I realised I needed to crack on. Rather than occasional days here and there, I asked for and was assigned a desk at college, and spent a day per week getting it done.

Towards the end of the second year, there was a Fellowship of Biblical Studies conference, which I presented my findings at, in a "panel from hell" - a PhD student also presenting on structure, and another author who I'd read and disagreed with. I was a bit worried about how it would go, but in the end it was actually a great experience. The PhD student was actually focussed on another area in Ecclesiastes; structure was just a side project. And after we'd both presented it was fairly evident that he didn't have that much invested in that part of it. The other speaker was actually really nice in person (even though he can be quite acerbic in writing!), and was only encouraging.

It was during the conference that I was again asked to consider converting the Masters to a Doctorate (both supervisors had suggested as much), but after a chat with the USyd head of department (who was very keen), I did some thinking and decided I just didn't have that much left in the topic beyond the 40,000 words required, to double it to PhD length. So at that point I pretty much drove hard to the end, and submitted before the beginning of the 2019 academic year, mostly so that I wouldn't have to pay for a 6th semester!

I had two examiners. One loved it, but seemed to want a little more convincing. The other had pages of things to be fixed (90% because he was used to a different footnoting style; nothing substantial), but nonetheless was very positive about my conclusions. So that was all good - graduation next year!

The next question was what to do with it now. I asked my supervisor which journal to submit to, and he thought for a minute, and then said, "nah, I reckon you should do a book." His point was to cut a 40,000 word argument down to 8,000 or so for a journal would lose a lot. But it would be fine for a smaller book, and would be perfect for people trying to think seriously through the structure of Ecclesiastes.

With his commendation attached, I emailed two publishers in June, 2019. It probably took 8 weeks to get responses (late August). One (Bloomsbury, for their LHBSOT series) wanted PhD level or above, but Wipf & Stock were happy to get on board, I think mostly due to their different publishing model and ability to do small print runs which means they don't risk quite as much as some other publishers. As the author you have to bear some of the costs before it gets to print. There are a lot of surveys to fill out (with both of them), mostly with regards to marketing and potential endorsements. They're as much for me as for them, to ensure that I know what needs to happen if I ever want it to go somewhere.

As we speak (November 2019), the book has been copyedited, and is being typeset, after which I will have to go through the proofs and then it can be printed and hopefully come to a bookshelf and/or library near you. The day when I can actually hold my book in my hand still a ways off, but it's been mostly a good process (although the wait after submission is always stressful). It hasn't been cheap, costing me more than $10 a page, and I doubt I'll ever make that back, but if libraries pick it up then at least people will be able to use it and benefit from it.

Ultimately my prayer is that people who want to think through the structure of Ecclesiastes will find my book accessible and useful. I do hope they will agree with me, but at the very least I hope they see the possibilities in my structure, and might try reading Ecclesiastes afresh according to my structure.

Ecclesiastes is a difficult book to understand, but it need not be impenetrable due to a lack of structure. With my structure, it opens itself up in a new way, such that people can consider its contents and message afresh. Well, that's my hope at least. Stay tuned for the day when you can actually get your hands on it too!