After you have been away from your dissertation for several months read it with fresh eyes. Read it to determine the following.

WHAT IS IN YOUR DISSERTATION?

Determine the strength of your dissertation. How many strong chapters do you have? Can this material be expanded into a book? Will this material add to the record of material in your field of study?

WHAT SHOULD NOT BE REVISED?

What can be deleted from the book manuscript? Everything in your dissertation will not end up in your book. You have to determine what is filler and what is not. Discard everything that will not support the central idea of your book. Develop the ability to look at your dissertation with a critical eye.

HOW MUCH NEW MATERIAL SHOULD BE PUT IN?

Answering this question will determine whether you will spend 6 months or one year revising your dissertation. Do you have only one chapter that is useable? Will you have to research 12 new chapters? Is half of your dissertation useable? Will you have to do research for only three new chapters?

Sift through your dissertation with a critical eye. Can you determine the weak material in it? If not, put it aside a little while longer. You are still too close to it.

When you read it again, determine what quotations you will leave out. Is your idea for a book taking shape? What will be the structure of your book? As you can see, lots of decisions have to be made when you convert your dissertation into a book manuscript.

Therefore, rereading your dissertation is necessary. Rereading your dissertation with a critical eye is absolutely essential. This will keep you from devoting months to a project that cannot be turned into a book.