Welcome and Introduction

Welcome to Academic Book Writing Simplified. I’m your host, Jane Jones, a writing coach and developmental editor who’s here to give you some tough love about the way you write. This podcast is for women and non-binary scholars in academia who are writing academic books but feel as if the process is a little or a lot like a mystery. If you’re ready to trade your confusion and frustration for ease, clarity, and purpose, you’re in the right place. Let’s head into today’s episode.

Hey, Dr. Yalidy Matos, thank you so much for joining me on the podcast today. I’m so excited for our conversation.

Thank you for having me. I’m super excited.

Yalidy’s Background and Motivation for Joining

Awesome. Well, you are here because we are going to talk about your time in what was formerly known as Elevate, but is now Book Brilliance. You joined in when it was called Elevate. So for anyone listening, if you hear us saying Elevate, know that’s what we’re talking about. But now it’s Book Brilliance. So let’s get right into it. Tell me a little bit just about your research and what made you decide to join the program.

Yeah. So I am a political scientist. I am an associate professor now, and I believe I joined Elevate/Book Brilliance right before I went up for tenure, or as I was going up for tenure. I’m an Americanist, so I work on American politics. My first book is on immigration attitudes here in the United States. So I do lots of things — book writing as well as article writing — but mostly around political attitudes and behavior, Dominican elected officials, women of color representation, and Latinx and Afro-Latinx identity politics.

Entering the Program

And I remember when you joined, you were going up for tenure because we talked about your tenure gift.

Yes. That’s true. You know, you forget after some point. You’re just like, what was I doing during that year? But yes.

So what made me join Elevate? Lots of reasons. I heard about Elevate from other folks, and I had heard great things about you and great things about the program. I also really liked the vision and mission of your organization and your program because it is so unique — especially in academia — for women, for non-binary scholars, and for women of color in particular, to have this kind of space where we’re being taught curriculum that should have been taught in graduate school but is not being taught. I wanted a safe space where I could learn about the unwritten and hidden rules about book writing and book publishing. There wasn’t a lot of that, or that doesn’t exist outside of these kinds of spaces.

Working on a Second Book

And you had a little bit of an unconventional path to Elevate because you came in with your second book, and you had also worked with me already.

Yes. So I did work together on my first book. You snuck into our Elevate alumni program, not being an alum.

And it felt correct because that’s who you are.

Thank you. Yeah, so it’s a little bit unconventional. In Elevate, I was working on my second book. I did the alumni program, and that was transformational. For anyone hearing out there, it is so worthwhile to do Elevate and then to do the Elevate alumni program.

I had such a great experience with the R&R program, and I really wanted to work on my second book differently than I did my first. When I came to you, I already had a full manuscript, and I had reviewer comments from the publisher. But the path to write my first book was so difficult. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was sort of learning while I was doing it. I was going back and forth. I was editing a lot. And so I gifted myself Elevate on the second book so that I knew how to do this work right — so that the process would be smoother and easier, less painful.

What Changed the Second Time Around

Awesome. Since you had the benefit of hindsight, were there things you wanted to do differently for your second book than your first — in terms of process, approach, or time management?

I would certainly say the process. It’s a different process, especially when you’re going from dissertation to book — which is a lot of our journey on the first book — versus writing a second book that you are deciding you want to write.

The process for me was really important to do differently. Learning how to do a book framework, a book overview, outlining — all of that makes for a smoother process. I felt like with my first book, I didn’t have those steps. I just kinda wrote the thing, then I started editing, then I got feedback, then I got too much feedback. And I was like, okay, what feedback do I stick with, and what should I not pay attention to? That’s really hard.

I wanted the process, the curriculum, the space, the cohort model — as well as the safe space. That was really important for me.

Experience Inside the Program

Okay. So once you were in the program, what was your experience like — for instance, working with Kaylee’s editorial feedback, using the curriculum, etc.?

I had a great experience. I really enjoyed my cohort in particular — I’m sure all cohorts are great — but we still have a WhatsApp group that we use to check in with each other. The culture that is built in Elevate really feels supportive and nurturing. That was amazing. It’s not something you find in academia often.

I took the program very seriously. I worked through the worksheets, made the workshops, and joined the writing group times. That was important, even though I was working on my second book.

The editorial feedback is unmatched. You can work with a developmental editor one-on-one, of course, but what sets Elevate or Book Brilliance apart is the cohort model — the editorial feedback you’re getting, usually from an outsider, as well as the hot seat workshops. I really liked those.

I know it seems daunting to be in the hot seat, but every time you are, you learn a lot. And even when someone else is in the hot seat, the lessons we all get are incredibly valuable. The cohort can chime in, and we learn from one another — which is foundational to critical knowledge and critical thinking that comes from within.

Biggest Takeaways and Lasting Impact

The hot seats definitely got hot sometimes.

They did! But the fact that you know it’s a safe space makes it okay. Everyone knows it’s for our growth.

What was the most valuable part of the program for you? Or what did you take away that helps you now — something you can replicate again?

The editorial feedback and hot seats, for sure. Kaylee is really great at seeing the bigger picture. She’ll point out where you’re minimizing your own point, or where you’ve hidden your best sentence. That’s amazing. It’s affirming — you never feel like, “Oh, I don’t belong here,” or “I’m not far enough.”

The thing I go back to again and again are the worksheets — especially the Jumpstart curriculum. I’ve opened the book overview worksheet for every book. Now I’m on my third and fourth book, and I still use it.

The book framework changed the way I read. We were shown examples — here’s a book framework, here are the pieces. So even reading others’ work, I look for those pieces now.

Honestly, the whole program is valuable. The curriculum is unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere and is tailored to us in this program. That is invaluable.

Advice for Future Participants

You’re on your third or fourth book now? That’s amazing.

Yes. The second is a co-authored book with amazing co-authors. It’ll be out in 2026 from NYU Press.

Everyone go get it!

Yes! It’s on Dominican political incorporation through the rise of Dominican elected officials in the U.S.

If someone is undecided about joining, what would you tell them?

Join. You won’t be disappointed. I don’t think there’s anywhere else in academia offering this level of support — especially during these times. It’s a safe, nurturing space for doing important work, on important topics.

Practically, I’d advise someone to book a consultation call with you. We had that before I did R&R, and we decided together whether it was the right program. If finances are an issue, get creative — ask your chair and dean to split the cost, or check internal and external grants. Reach out to alumni if you can, or ask Jane to connect you.

Yes. And we do have alumni who are happy to do that.

Now everyone has you!

You don’t need to call me — I’m busy writing four books — but you can email me!

Final Reflections

Do you think there’s anything I missed?

Not really. I’d reiterate how much smoother the process has been since doing Elevate — even compared to my first book. Elevate is great whether you’re going from dissertation to book, or need more guidance on your first book. If I’d known about it earlier, I would’ve joined before publishing my first.

I’m considering doing Elevate again for book three or four. You come out of Elevate with a clear picture — not just of your book, but of yourself. Your own voice. That gets privileged in Elevate — that your voice matters, and your ideas are important.

Thank you.

You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.

No — thank you for coming! I’m so excited we were able to talk. There’s so much. I’m always like, “Yalidy, is there anything you didn’t like?” because I don’t want people to think this is fake.

I think everyone knows your sense of humor by now.

Maybe you should’ve done something!

No. I can’t think of anything. We live in an institution — academia — that gives so little to women, people of color, women of color, and non-binary folks. So when we find programs that fill in those gaps — and go beyond — it’s hard to find fault with them.

This is not paid. I was not paid for this.

Closing Message

Thank you for joining me today.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for listening to today’s episode. Remember, writing an academic book is challenging, but that doesn’t mean you have to overcomplicate it. If you like what you heard in today’s episode, please leave a review — this helps get the word out about the podcast so more people will listen and we can continue the conversation.

Take care, and tune in for our next episode.