Consider the benefits of writing a book.  Of course, there may be benefits to you personally, such as enhancing your reputation and advancing your career.  By writing a book, you have the opportunity to share your ideas with a larger and wider range of readers than with law review articles.

There also are potential benefits for the field.  The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution is an important institution in our community that has done a great number of worthwhile projects and provided a home for the numerous constituencies in our field.  Having the Section publish your book can help spread our ideas and contribute to the Section’s finances.

We have great ideals and techniques for making life better in a huge range of situations.  Don’t hide your light under a bushel.

The Section’s Publication Board (of which I am a member) invites you to submit a proposal for a book.

The ABA Section of Dispute Resolution seeks to publish high-quality books that advance the profession and enrich the practice of dispute resolution.  Our primary target audience is dispute resolution professionals at any stage of their career, rather than law scholars or students.  For this audience, we publish practical handbooks and how-to guides, master-class advice for specific areas of practice, and innovative takes applying insights from other fields to guide professional development.

Prospective book topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• • • Mediation—advanced practice tips
    • Ethics in ADR
    • Arbitration—especially in the international arena
    • The intersections of new technology and ADR
    • The intersections of social science and ADR
    • Ombuds
    • Guidance for developing and managing an ADR practice

To submit a book proposal, please fill out this proposal form and return it to ABA Publishing Executive Editor Sarah Craig.  Please note that not every proposal is accepted for publication.  We encourage you to contact Sarah Craig to discuss your project and its potential fit with the Section’s publishing program before submitting a proposal.

I want to add a personal note about Sarah.  I have worked closely with her on the forthcoming book that Michaela Keet, Heather Heavin, and I wrote.  Sarah is fabulous.  She is very knowledgeable, helpful, responsive, and cooperative.  You couldn’t have a better editor to work with.

Please also consciously plan other ways to support the Section.  Infect, I mean, encourage academic colleagues, practitioners, alumni, students, and anyone else who might be interested to take advantage of the Section’s work.  They can attend Section conferences, institutes, and other educational programs; read, cite, and write for Section publications; participate in Section activities; and, of course, become a member of the Section.

We can’t take for granted that our field will continue to grow without much effort.  Indeed, there are worrying signs on the horizon.  If you care about the future of our field, please take responsibility for engaging others in our visions and work.

Particularly reach out to people who might not otherwise be involved without a friendly little nudge.