You doing the academic book thing? Dope! A thread.
1. Do your homework. Sometimes the most prestigious academic press that (more) established scholars fawn over ain't meant for your research. Peep their acquisition editors, their titles, etc. Is it a fit?

As we’re heading into the #PitchWars showcase and since the conversation seems abuzz...here’s a thread of questions I would recommend you ask not only potential agents during The Call, but references, and clients you reach out to personally:

1) What happens if we don’t sell this project? Are you willing to look at a pitch in the same genre?

I heard a panel recently where half the writers were dropped by their first agent after they pitched their second project. Be sure to ask around outside of the agent on this one.

2) Are you an editorial agent? Why or why not?

Meaning, will they revise the manuscript with you beforehand or just do small edits and send it off to editors. Both have their pros and cons, and one might matter to you more.

3) How many clients do you have and how do you juggle your workload with your clients?

In other words, how much time do they have to devote to you and your career. You can also ask, on average how long does it take to get a project on sub?

4) How would you describe yourself as an agent? What are some ways that others have described you as an agent?

This one I think is rarely in questions lists, but I think it’s a fun one to see how passionate an agent gets about their career.

So, you’re a writer and you’re worried about writing outside your immediate experiences and identities.

Here is the thread of practical advice for you.

EXAMINE YOUR MOTIVES. Why do you want to write this?

Are you trying to solve racism/sexism/colonialism with your work?

As writers we love stories about heroic writers whose work has changed the world. And as such we like to look to our own writing to solve societal problems.

And I understand this completely, not the least because I’ve felt the pull.

But if you’re looking to play saviour with your words, it is unlikely that you will do the marginalised people you are trying to save justice.

And I understand this very often comes from place of good intentions, but there is a reason that most of the moralising plays written by white abolitionists are deeply uncomfortable to read.

It is incredibly easy for works looking to play saviour to become patronising or traffic in simplistic stereotypes that ultimately hurt the people they are looking to rescue.

I never thought of myself as a writer.

So why do I now write one million words per year?

Because I discovered writing is a superpower.

Here are 67 benefits of writing.

👇🏼

1) 🧠 Clear your mind.

Stop using your brain as storage.

Start using your brain as processing power.

2) 💬 Communicate better.

Clear writers are clear thinkers.

Clear thinkers are clear communicators.

3) 👥 Build community.

Attract likeminded people.

Help connect people with similar interests who would have otherwise never met.

To go fast, go alone. To go far, go together.

4) 👩🏻‍🏫 Teach what you know.

You don’t have to be an expert to teach.

Leaders are seen as experts BECAUSE they teach.

Teach the person one step behind you.

When you report a piece for two years & then write it up in 8000 words, there are obviously lots of things on the cutting room floor

But this 🧵 isn't about that

This thread is about something else not in the piece: what it was like to actually *do* this research & writing

1/

Let's start with the fact that my main paying-job is *not* ethnographic journalist on tech companies. It's being a law professor. I teach property, info privacy, and internet law.

It is a fantastic job, but it is full time, particularly in your first few years teaching.

2/

That means at the same time as I was traveling back and forth across the country on red-eyes to be at FB to do this work I was also giving 26 two hour speeches about adverse possession and eminent domain to 70+ 1Ls.

Would not recommend.

3/

But how did I even start doing that? How did I get access inside Facebook?

I will tell you the secret: *I asked.*

4/

I went to a PR person at FB & one of the people who does stakeholder engagement in early 2019 & I said:

"Listen, I think that this Oversight Board thing is going to be a big deal and you are telling people you are doing this transparently. So you should let me report it."

5/