The Reading Warehouse

All of the authors in this volume, as well as the editors, have built successful careers beyond the groves of academia--as freelance editors and writers, consultants and lecturers, librarians, realtors, and entrepreneurs--and each has a compelling story to tell. Their accounts afford readers a firsthand view of what it takes to transition from professor to professional. They also give plenty of practical advice, along with hard-won insights into what making a move beyond the academy might entail--emotionally, intellectually, and, not least, financially. Imparting what they wish they'd known during their PhDs, these writers aim to spare those who follow in their uncertain footsteps. Together their essays point the way out of the "tenure track or bust" mindset and toward a world of different but no less rewarding possibilities.

Kelly J. Baker is editor of Women in Higher Education. Her books include Gospel According to the Klan, also from Kansas, and Sexism Ed: Essays on Gender and Labor in Academia.