Honors Experiential Learning Project Proposal Form

Complete this proposal prior to your project’s start date and upload it in the UHP Database ( Create a project (“Add a new record”) in the “Tracking Project” tab and then upload your proposal document as an attachment. Your submission will be reviewed during the next review cycle.

While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4 pages in length (single-spaced). Please maintain the proposal format.

Basic Information
Full Name: Chirau J. Patel

UC Email:

College: CEAS

Major: Aerospace Engineering

Title of Project: The Journey of a Thousand Publishers

Thematic Area (choose only one): Community Engagement, Creative Arts, Global Studies, Leadership, OR Research

Expected Project Start Date:June 22nd, 2014

Expected Project End Date: November 22nd, 2014

Project Information

1. Provide a detailed abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.

I know that many college students will come into college and across their college career they might draft some beautiful literature. Whether it is poetry, a short story, a work of another language, or even a novel, we might not necessarily know how to get that work published.

That’s what I want to do with this project. I want to take five months to search and understand the nooks and crannies of the publishing world. Not only for myself to better understand the dynamics behind having our works of literature crafted out, but so other students can see the steps I took to either unsuccessfully publish my work or hopefully get published, just so it can make the journey more informational for them and give them stepping stones to base their own path upon.

For me, understanding the process is a key and essential part of this project, but just as importantly, I want to do this for me. I always grew up asking questions about my culture, where I came from, and often times I didn’t get the opportunity for a good answer. I’ve researched the myths, developed a story, and I’ve earned the opportunityto spread knowledge of my culture. But the next step is in figuring out in how to get published.

It’s something that will require heavy research on my part with publishing, refining, and marketing both on the web and through person. For instance, my goal is to read various books, articles, and papers and develop an understanding of both the good and bad aspects involved. This will be done online and with physical copies. I will take this understanding and incorporate into my dissemination. The other half of this research will involve me contacting people to help me with this project. My list for this includes UC Professors, authors, literary agents, and then publishing companies.

At the end of the day, I want another student to come across the ideas I’ve learned, and hopefully inspire them to follow their passions just as well.

Here’s my projected timeline, the goal being working on these items for 3 hours a week or greater, similar to the time length of a 3 Credit Honors Course.

Creating a path

1st Month (June 22-July 22): Read, analyze, and construct solid ideas on the path to take on publishing based off the literary texts I mention and the writing blogs. This will give a good way to start and understand the different processes involved and to form a solid game plan.

Finding local help

2ndMonth (July 22-August 22): Work with the faculty on Campus. This includes some professors who have published novels or have a hand in working with literature. Some professors I’m planning on working on with are: Dr. Jennifer Kelley, who has worked with folklore and fairytale literature; Dr. Lisa Ampleman, who has published a collection of poetry, and work with the Cincinnati Review who have published several authors.

The Publishing Options

3rd/4th/5th Month (August 22-November 22): I would like to venture and understand the dynamics of self-publication through actually contacting and working with authors who have self-published. I really want to focus on this aspect because companies like Amazon have their own self-publishing dynamics, and I want to approach whether the new method of self-publishing is something that would be more useful to me versus the traditional path.

At this point in time, after understanding the basics and working with the resources I’ve had in Cincinnati, I would like to first start by working with a literary agent, someone who can help me polish the novel and make a connection in the publishing world. During this time, I plan on working with them to actually connect with a publishing company and see what they have to say. Some companies I have in mind are: Scribe Publishing, Cinci Book Publishing, and Hyde Park Publishing Services.

Along this process, I plan on hearing the local author series at the university and hearing the advice and work of authors such as Michael Knight, Roger Reeves, and Claire Messud as they appear through the fall semester. Just as well, I’ll be continuing my research from the previous months well into the latter months.

2. Clearly and thoroughly address how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work:

List 2-3 honors learning outcomes that you will make progress towards achieving as a result of your project. Then, explain how your actions related to the project will help you meet the learning outcomes you identified. Provide specific examples.

Learning Outcomes for the Creative Arts Theme

  • Acquires or further develops capabilities within a particular creative domain.
  • Possess a well-developed awareness of theories and methods in the field.

When it comes to the different points in the publishing world, three aspects I would like to strongly acknowledge are editing, publishing, and marketing. These are three core ideas I believe will make up the bulk of my research.

The first area I’m focusing on is editing. Writing is a craft that has to continuously honed and worked upon. I wrote the book from the skill of a college student but I know there are definitely some things that I need to work on and build upon. Right now, I believe my novel is ready as a first draft for publication, but personally I would like to understand pitfalls and mistakes I have made with editing to better the structure of the novel. Through this process of research, I’ll be able to understand the different styles of writing and how to properly edit the novel. A few examples I can list off the beginning of my head are prose, tone, and proper flow throughout the novel.

The second area is the publication process itself. I have no idea where is the first step begins or what composes the process. I believe that at the end of this experience, I will be able to condense the process into a clear summary. This includes understanding who literary agents are, working with local authors, what self-publication entails, and then finally approaching a publishing company and editor.

The third area is marketing. From what I’ve heard, it takes not only a good author but someone who can sell their idea well to be successful with novel writing. I feel marketing my novel is a part of the publishing process I don’t want to overlook. At the end, I believe it is important to have the novel ready to go, but having a place for it to be seen. I would like to understand the basics for this process.

Personally, I think hitting the nail on these three ideas will help understand the inside and outside aspects for publication. At the same time, I think that the work done here will give me the ability to craft better literature keeping all the advice and techniques in mind. My book is the first of a trilogy, the latter two have still yet to be written, and understanding the overall aspects to creating a better story will only make me into a better and educated writer in the end. Not only will I have developed in the publishing theories, but I will also develop my writing capabilities within the literary domain.

3. Connection to Goals and Academic Theories (include reference list, as appropriate)

A. Development

Personal & General Education Goals—This is something that I’m doing out of a passion and the idea to spread knowledge to other people. I really enjoy crafting a tale and incorporating the culture from where I came. I want to give people who are curious about the Indian culture: its customs, its ideas, and its mythology, a better understanding. I want kids like me, who grew up in the United States and other countries that didn’t grow up directly with a full Indian understanding, the ability to enjoy our roots with something they could relate.

Likewise as I’ve mentioned, I want other students like me to have a resource to look upon and get an idea to base their publication process off. It could be something that could lead to a contest or contract with a publishing company to print the best short stories, articles, and potentially, novels from UC students and spread the great and imaginative minds that craft here at the University.

Professional & Academic-As an Aerospace Engineer, I will foray into the field of research at one point or another. Having the experience done with this publication process will really help give me an advantage in the post college world. It will hone my skills, my idea on how to go about research, talking to various figures in the field, and a good overall process when starting a research concept. For example, if I wrote a novel on thermodynamics for younger children to understand, it would help to have the insights of publication and marketing to get the work out. Likewise if I work on a research paper and I would like to get it sent into a professional magazine as an article, knowing how to have the right prose and good flow to make the topic interesting might help give me precedence over other researchers.

B. Academic Theories and Readings

I plan on researching into a couple different guides, blogs, and articles to better my understanding through the process.

Specific books I feel will be useful are:

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published: How to Write It, Sell It, and Market It . . . Successfully by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry—

I decided this would be a good place to start my journey because of its high ratings and excellent reviews. Granted it might not work for me, but I want to hear what both an 18 year veteran of a successful literary agency and a 12 book published author featured on the New York Times have to say on the topic of publishing in this 480 page novel (“Who We Are”). According to Goodreads, the book has maintained a 4.28 out of 5 with 193 ratings; most reviews indicated by authors and publishing blogs say that the book encompasses the nuts and bolts to the publishing process. The book encompasses titling, selling a proposal, finding the right literary agent, self-publishing, and interviews with various famous authors like Neil Gaiman and Margaret Atwood, agents, editors, booksellers. This resource will provide me with a good basic understanding of how the publication process works and where to start.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Getting Publishedby Sheree Bykofsky and Jennifer Basye Sander—

When I first started researching mythology I came across a few different books, but the ones that simplified things were the Complete Idiots’ books. I used those to help develop my theories and plot ideas with my novel. Along with other novels they gave me a good starting point for my book. I believe that this Complete Idiot’s guide will help me just the same.

1001 Ways to Market Your Books: for Authors and Publishers by John Kremer—

I know absolutely nothing about marketing a novel; I believe getting a refresher in the course of marketing will really help me in the process of understanding distribution and selling the novel idea. Out of 112 ratings on Goodreads, it averages 4.3 rating and based off the Goodreads reviews it really puts emphasis on learning the marketing and business aspects of publication.

At the same time, I plan on reading from writers’ blogs and three of which really caught my eye for motivation and for learning.

is a blog that covers a range of writing topics, writing advice, publication information such as query letters and asking agents questions, and so forth. Personally for me, it acts as a blog that could really give me some motivation when I’m facing hard times during my publication search.

is a blog offered by Alan Rinzler, an editor who worked with various editors who provides his advice on his experience in the field. The blog acts as a good method to understand what an editor who speaks at workshops and conferences has to educate fresh authors like me.

is a blog offered by various professional and published writers on their experiences of publishing and getting into the game. They share their ups and downs and what they feel are good ideas to share with aspiring authors. They also offer blogs on the interests of their readers; an ideal opportunity for me to ask questions and learn.

4. Initiative, Independence, and/or Creativity

My biggest contribution to this project is that I actually have a book finished and ready for the next steps of the publication process. This means editing, refining, getting advice from publishers and literary agents. It’s something I feel shows that I’m motivated to get this project moving. Many people come up with great ideas of what they would do if they ever wrote a novel, I decided to put that thought to the test and craft something out of it. Now I want to learn about the next steps. This is something that will take true dedication to prove whether I can achieve something out of this experience or not. I believe I have that commitment.

I’ve written things in the past here and there before, but never a fully-fledged novel until now. I’ve also researched projects before for days, weeks, and months; this time I want to take a full year and explore the opportunities that are present before me.

And I know what it’s like to craft a guide for someone. In the past in high school, I crafted study guides for other students and myself to better understand the material at hand. I tried to make my guides as simple as I could, well-structured, humorous at points, and educational.

During the course of my second year in college, I created a guide for the First Year Leadership Program in Student Government. This guide entailed all the leadership research I had conducted, the ideas I had for the upcoming year and what we could do to improve the program. This meant I helped craft specific themes in meetings, having learnable content, and being able to pass it forward to other students; in this case it was about 40 students. I’m proud to say that guide really helped the whole program throughout the year with how to conduct our meetings and reflect on the progress we were making.

As for initiative, I’ve tried working with various individuals that might know what to do. For example, I’ve contacted former teachers in the English field for support, I’ve worked with Sheva Serota, a UC Honors student who self-published a novel and acquired her advice on publication, and then I’ve started exploring possibilities on campus.

So when it comes to experience, contribution and initiative, I believe I’m fully committed to this project. I’m passionate about this subject and want to do the best I can make this a reality.

5. Reflection

I enjoy writing but I think for this reflection, I want to do something different from a journal entry. I think something I’d rather enjoy and would be directly reflect with a video journal mainly aimed at myself. This is something that I don’t want to aim for everyone to see, but a few people, the main focus being me. I believe taking a video of myself once a week, and trying to address a few key questions will motivate me, allow me to think critically if I’m still going the right direction, and what things I believe I’m doing right.

So the video journals can address:

  • What have I learned about myself as a writer?
  • How can I sum up what I’ve learned this week?
  • What are my struggles and what are my successes?
  • What have I done?
  • How can I use this information for the upcoming week?

Thinking critically on questions such as these will give me a chance to step back from the research and allow me to focus in on areas where I can give more attention and areas I can take a step away from. At the same time, it will help me develop the plan for the next week.

6. Dissemination

The first will be through my blog/learning portfolio on Tumblr. It will recap short blurbs of my regular research. So it will share I feel are the highlights of my research in short recaps while also incorporating my personality into them.

Things I want to concentrate my blog for now are: