Who Are You Writing For?

The subtitle for The Grant Writing Guide was supposed to be: “How to get support for incredible ideas.” I wrote my whole manuscript with this subtitle in mind.

My editor didn’t like it. But he was nice and said, “Do you want to consider other options?”

I didn’t. I loved my subtitle. I asked friends if I should change it. They said, “No, it’s so you!” I ran a poll on social. People said the subtitle was inspiring. “Perfect!” I thought. That’s the feeling I was aiming for.

I reported the results back to my editor. He gently said, “The subtitle isn’t for you. It’s for readers. Will they understand what it means when they pick up your book?”

The answer was no. My subtitle was unclear. This realization forced me to kill my darling subtitle. I brainstormed new subtitles with my editor.

And that’s how my book came to be called, The Grant Writing Guide: A Road Map for Scholars.”

I share my subtitle saga as a reminder to:

• Listen to feedback from trusted colleagues. My editor was telling me for a long time that my subtitle didn’t work. I should have stopped to listen. I didn’t need to agree, but I could have been open to hearing feedback.
• Put readers’ needs first. You can love your work. That matters. But when you share your work, you are no longer the core audience. Your potential reader is. Write with that person in mind.

If you think today’s post could help someone, would you mind forwarding it to them? Thanks, as always, for reading and believing that scholars deserve support for incredible ideas. We need each other in these terrifying times.

Betty

Stay in touch: The Newsletter, Bluesky, and The Grant Writing Guide book.

P.S. I never fully killed my favorite subtitle. I end all newsletters talking about incredible ideas. 🙂

P.P.S. This past month I’ve led grant writing workshops at Monash University (in person) and UIC (virtually). Feel free to reach out if you want to see if I can lead a workshop at your institution (hit reply to this email).

P.P.P.S. Australia has amazing outdoor playspaces. This giant twist slide is right next to a great restaurant area. Kids can play while adults get coffee.