Editing an academic book whilst "unemployed"

[COVIDcausesCHAOS]

Hello.

I finished my PhD last year. I am currently working on publishing my manuscript. I have a publisher and I'm just working on the corrections.

My field is quite niche, but growing quickly (think crypto currency). It is expected that my book will sell well (for an academic text).

I am currently not working in academia. I have an admin job to pay the bills. I am looking for an academic post, but given the pandemic, it may be a while.

I have a good idea for another academic book. I think I have the knowledge to be the editor of a collection of essays on one aspect of my specialist topic.

My question is this: will publishers want an "unemployed" researcher to be the editor of an academic book? Normally the editors of these books are uni lecturers, which I'm not and probably won't be for a few years.

Any advice/ suggestions would be appreciated.

Could you find an academic who would co-edit the volume with you? It's usual to have more than one editor for this kind of volume anyway, plus commissioning editors like to see that the book editors have the experience to edit contributors' essays and to impose coherence on what can often turn out to be a bit of a miscellany if not framed appropriately.

Why not just contact a few publishers and ask? IME they are usually pretty direct and will tell you.

Publishers will pick up any good publication proposals. For an edited collection of essays, they'd want to know who are the secured contributors.

So start asking around your research networks, to see if colleagues are willing and have room in their writing plans, to contribute essays. Then write a persuasive and grounded proposal.

I wonder whether focusing on writing your own authored papers or seeking grants though might be a better use of your time. You have to think if I want a permanent lectureship, what would impress the panel? Collected volumes can take much longer to put together because you are dependant on other people to write their contributions, people drop out/get busy, and you have to do a lot of editing. That's why they work really well as part of a grant project, towards the end, when there's lots to put together and draw in.

Up to you, just worth thinking- what's the one or two pieces of writing that if on my CV are going to get me the job? I am in social sciences in a field that wouldn't mind an edited collection, but it wouldn't have the pull of a monograph (which you are doing) or a nice early career grant. It might be different in your discipline, so ask colleagues within that one for their advice.