Book Publication Skills Session

From PhD Thesis to Book: The Inside Story 

31 July 2026, 10 am to 11:30 am

Room 317, Melbourne Law School 

Transforming your doctoral thesis into a publishable monograph can be exciting, at times daunting and sometimes even a tedious process. Join us for an interactive skills session on preparing your PhD thesis for publication. Drawing on their shared experiences publishing their monographs with leading publishers, four former MLS PhD graduates – André Dao, Claerwen O’Hara, Laura Petersen and Valeria Vázquez Guevara – will share practical insights on writing a book proposal, approaching publishers, responding to reviewers, reworking the book manuscript, seeking feedback from peers and mentors, and not capitulating or giving up during the process! Most of all, this session aims to be fun and encouraging to all those considering publishing research based on their doctoral thesis!

Speakers

André Dao, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Laureate Program in Global Corporations and International Law at Melbourne Law School. André is the author of Human Rights for the Data Society: Big Tech, the UN and the Datafication of Rights (Cambridge University Press, December 2026) 

Claerwen O Hara, Lecturer, Melbourne Law School. Claerwen is the author of Consensus in International Law: Critical History, Queer Reimaginings (Oxford University Press, September 2026) 

Laura Petersen, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Lucerne (Switzerland) and Adjunct Research Fellow, La Trobe University. Laura is the author of Practices of Restitution: Law and Aesthetics in Modern Germany (Cambridge University Press, January 2026)

Valeria Vázquez Guevara, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong. Valeria is the author of Truth Commissions and International Law: Jurisdiction, Representation, Authority (Cambridge University Press, July 2026)

RSVP 

RSVP by emailing claerwen.ohara@unimelb.edu.au by Friday 24 July.