It might seem a little strange to those of us still trying to figure out how to get one book written and published, but I hear all the time from podcast guests that the second book brings its own set of challenges.

This week’s guest knows this is true from firsthand experience—but she also worked to make it better for other academics writing their second books.

In this week's episode, Jessica Lepler Knows That Criticism Is Praise, Dr. Lepler talks about how she wrote her own second book, including how she started the research while also researching her dissertation. But she also talked about the Second Book Writers Workshop that she co-founded for the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic (SHEAR). Even for those of us still far from our second books, there's a lot to inspire in this interview!

Other Links

• I rounded up some of this week's newly released history books. What's on your to-read list?
• My pals over at Contingent Magazine are rounding up all of the books and articles published by non-tenture-track historians for their annual year-end list. If that's you, submit your work here by November 29.
• Last year, I didn't get enough responses to make this happen, but I'm trying again! I'd like to put together a bonus episode that features YOU. What's the best history book you read this year? Leave me a voicemail here and I'll round them up for an end-of-year episode!