I've just joined the forum and would much appreciate any advice. Since passing my PhD viva last year, I have submitted some book proposals based on my thesis to a few publishers. Because I have been waiting to hear back from those publishers, I have not been doing the alternative of submitting chapters to journals; I thought that if I got something published in a journal, I cannot then use it in a book. Is this the case? Also, there is just one publisher I am waiting to hear back from - I submitted my proposal last October and they replied quickly saying that they would discuss it with colleagues and get back to me soon. I still haven't heard and while I don't want to pester them, I would like to know if it is still under consideration or long forgotten about...so that I can get on with trying to submit some chapters instead. What would you recommend, should I get in touch or leave it a while longer. Thanks again for any help.