{"id":124,"date":"2013-04-02T23:11:17","date_gmt":"2013-04-03T03:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/?p=124"},"modified":"2013-09-05T00:03:50","modified_gmt":"2013-09-05T04:03:50","slug":"want-to-get-published-dean-ken-gormley-shares-some-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.law.duq.edu\/juris\/2013\/04\/02\/want-to-get-published-dean-ken-gormley-shares-some-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Want to Get Published? Dean Ken Gormley Shares Some Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo<\/a>
Photo courtesy of Richard Kelly\/Pittsburgh Post Gazette<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

by Lauren Gailey, Staff Writer<\/p>\n

Ken Gormley, Dean and Professor at Duquesne Law School, knows a few things about getting published.\u00a0 He has written extensively for law reviews and other publications, and his two books, Archibald Cox:\u00a0 Conscience of a Nation<\/i> and The Death of American Virtue:\u00a0 Clinton vs. Starr<\/i>, have received many awards and accolades.\u00a0 Dean Gormley recently shared some of the secrets of his success with Juris<\/i> Staff Writer Lauren Gailey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Juris<\/i>:\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve been published in many different media, from Rolling Stone<\/i> magazine to academic journals to books and book chapters, each of which demand different approaches.\u00a0 Can you describe how you tailor your choice of subject matter and scope, writing process, and writing style to the medium in which you\u2019re writing?<\/p>\n

KG:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I start out by asking myself, \u201cWho\u2019s my audience?\u201d\u00a0 If you\u2019re writing for a readership of\u00a0lawyers, that\u2019s different than writing for a law review (which is mainly for academics), and both of those are different than writing for a general audience of readers who may know nothing about law and who need to be\u00a0told a compelling story in common-sense terms. \u00a0No matter who I\u2019m writing for, though, I try to write as clearly and directly as possible.\u00a0 That usually means lots of re-writes.<\/p>\n

Juris<\/i>:\u00a0\u00a0 Do you have a preference for writing in one medium over the others, and, if so,\u00a0why?<\/p>\n

KG:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I enjoy writing for a general audience.\u00a0 It\u2019s scary but exciting to try to connect with a large group of readers who you\u2019ve never met.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing that\u2019s more exciting than waking up in the morning, opening a newspaper, and seeing a story you\u2019ve written, accompanied by an eye-catching photo or illustration.\u00a0 Or seeing a book you\u2019ve written in the window of Barnes & Noble.\u00a0 That\u2019s what writers live for \u2013 to see that they\u2019re connecting with a wide audience.<\/p>\n

Juris<\/i>:\u00a0\u00a0 Which of your non-academic publishing experiences have been particularly gratifying?\u00a0 Particularly memorable?<\/p>\n

KG:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Clinton book [The Death of American Virtue<\/i>] was certainly an incredible experience.\u00a0 Sitting in the sunroom of President Clinton\u2019s home in Chappaqua, New York, talking to him about the exhilarating and dicey moments of his presidency \u2013 that was high drama.\u00a0 You say to yourself:\u00a0 \u201cAm I really here?\u00a0 I really hope I don\u2019t screw up this interview.\u201d<\/p>\n

Juris<\/i>:\u00a0\u00a0 What would your advice be to students who are looking to explore getting published in media other than academic journals \u2013 where should they start? \u00a0How does one go about landing a book deal or getting a newspaper editor to publish him or her in the Opinion section.<\/p>\n

KG:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Start small and shoot for perfection in everything you do.\u00a0 It probably isn\u2019t a great idea to devote nine years to writing a big book until you\u2019ve first published smaller pieces and you\u2019ve confirmed that A) people actually read them and B) neutral people like editors believe you actually know how to write.\u00a0 Doing newspaper and magazine articles is a good way to test out your writing skills and try out different techniques and styles for different audiences.<\/p>\n

Juris<\/i>:\u00a0\u00a0 Can you offer any advice as to how a student can build a professional reputation or an area of expertise\u00a0that will make it more likely that an editor, publisher, or literary agent will reach\u00a0out to him or her and commission <\/i>a piece or book?<\/p>\n

KG:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 That comes from becoming a go-to person in a specific area.\u00a0 You do that by building on your strengths and experiences until you become an expert in something, big or small.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always had a motto, \u201cDon\u2019t do anything interesting in life without writing about it.\u201d\u00a0 So far, that\u2019s worked out pretty well.<\/p>\n

Look for more from Dean Gormley and other Duquesne Law faculty and students who have been published in the next issue of Juris<\/i> Magazine.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lauren Gailey is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and a 2L at Duquesne Law.\u00a0 Her favorite subjects include Constitutional Law and Criminal Law, which she had the opportunity to put into practice when she interned with the U.S. Attorney\u2019s Office last year.\u00a0 She and her teammates recently represented Duquesne at the 2013 Judge John R. Brown Admiralty Moot Court Competition, where they reached the semi-finals and won an award for the Second-Best Respondent\u2019s Brief.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Lauren Gailey, Staff Writer Ken Gormley, Dean and Professor at Duquesne Law School, knows a few things about getting published.\u00a0 He has written extensively for law reviews and other publications, and his two books, Archibald Cox:\u00a0 Conscience of a Nation and The Death of American Virtue:\u00a0 Clinton vs. Starr, [\u2026] <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

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