As part of its mission to address issues of recruitment, retention,and integration of women and people of color in the profession, theAPSA Task Force on Mentoring periodically publishes articles on someaspect of mentoring that will help political scientists movesuccessfully through the profession. This brief symposium on“Publishing Your First Book” is just one such example of thisinitiative. For more information about the Task Force and itsongoing projects, contact Linda Lopez, APSA Director of Educationand Professional Development Programs, at [email protected].

I am an acquiring editor for the Higher Education group within OxfordUniversity Press—that is, the books I am most likely to sign areexplicitly intended to be used in courses. Nevertheless, most of thefollowing nostrums are applicable in many different publishingsituations.