Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article by Howard Becker is much more than a guide to writing; it is a guide to becoming a prolific (and thus successful) academic. Whereas many books on writing focus on style and grammar, Becker takes a broader view, covering everything from the writing process (“writing is a form of thinking”) to common pitfalls (the “One Right Way”) to writing’s place in research (think “working draft”). Becker illustrates his ideas with examples from his career as a professor of sociology, and his sociological perspective is refreshing, even liberating. If you’re an academic looking for ways to put off writing that next paper, I highly recommend this book.