The book

Most of you know that I've been working on a book for the past few years.  Just last week, I finished up the last edits I have before I feel comfortable sending it for review to a publisher.  Even though I spent over a year researching for it, a full summer writing, and months editing, this is actually the toughest part of the process.  Publishing is one of those things I have to do in order to be promoted, but it is also one of those things that is somewhat out of my hands.  To have it "count", I have to publish with a reputable publisher...preferably a university press or another academic publisher.  No self publishing here!  Publishers all have very specific things they are looking for and so it is a bit of a challenge to find a publisher that might be interested in the topic. 

Earlier this year I put together a list of six publishers I thought might be interested in my book and sent them a book proposal and a few sample chapters.  I've heard back from five of them that they aren't interested.  So, it's back to the drawing board for me.  I have a new list of possibilities started and this week, I'll start sending proposals to them. 

For those of you who are interested in learning more about what I've written, here are the opening paragraphs from my book proposal.  The title of the book is, The Unlikely Ties That Bind: How Christians, Jews and Muslims Work Together to Influence Policy.

"A priest, a rabbi, a pastor, and an imam meet to discuss politics.  This might sound like the set up of a politically incorrect joke, but it is exactly what happens on a regular basis in the state of Minnesota, and though it might be hard to envision, it is no joke.  Minnesota’s Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) is an interfaith advocacy group active in a wide range of state policy debates including welfare reform, gambling, healthcare, gay rights, and economic justice.  Governed by representatives from the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Minnesota Council of Churches, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, and the Islamic Center of Minnesota, the JRLC represents an unlikely coalition in the policy process.  The JRLC was the nation’s first statewide interfaith lobbying group, founded in 1971, and today remains one of the only groups of its kind.  In the years since its formation, the JRLC has played a leading role in several major legislative debates in Minnesota.  Its focus on the impact of budgets and tax policy on the poor was especially prominent in the 2011 budget battles between Minnesota’s Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled legislature, which resulted in the longest state government shutdown in American history. 

This book tells the story of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition because it is an interesting story to tell.  But beyond that, this book uses the JRLC to help explain interest groups in American politics: what they are, how and why they form, how they mobilize citizens to participate in the political process, how they work to influence government, and what their impact is on the health of our democracy.  Because this particular group operates within the context of state government, an area of political science that is notoriously understudied, it also offers a glimpse into the world of state politics and the role of interest groups within this context.  The political battles surrounding the Minnesota government shutdown provide the backdrop for several of the chapters.  Finally, as the JRLC is explicitly and intentionally grounded in religious faith, this book offers insight into the world of religion and politics, particularly of progressive-leaning religious groups."