Be a book fairy!
Suggests a very simple way in which you can make a junior colleague or PhD student happy
Note: This post first appeared as week #4 in in the EveryLittleActionCounts campaign initiated by Christa Sathish.
Everyone loves a freebie. Everyone loves a present. Academics are no different. But most of them prefer a very specific freebie: books! So, if you are a senior/well-resourced academic, why not make a difference this week by being a book fairy? There are at least three ways you can be a book fairy.
Clearing out your office
We all accumulate lots of books but many of them go unread or unused. Why not do a clear-out and leave the ones you no longer need outside your office? Or better still display them in our office and invite your colleagues to come and have a browse. That way you can have a chat with them at the same time.
Ask to be paid in books by publishers (or universities)
Many senior academics are asked to review book proposals for publishers. The (symbolic) payment can usually be doubled when you choose to be paid in books. Why not ask your junior colleagues what books they would like? I have been able to accommodate a few dozen requests this way.
Doing a paid guest lecture or a PhD examination? Ask whether you can get your honorarium in books [in the UK, this also avoids having to fill out many tedious forms to prove your “right to work”]. I have been able to finance a few dozen of the “How to get published in the best management journals” guide this way [see here for the third edition: Everything you always wanted to know about impact...].
Career development book for a junior colleague/PhD student
If you want to “kill two birds with one stone” [or flies or rabbits or pigeons or hares, see here for a very interesting map of country differences] why not buy a book that helps your colleague or PhD student in their career development? You can buy plenty of helpful career guides for under 10 pounds/dollars/euros. I even wrote five myself: Crafting your career in academia
Aug 2022: Only £5.95... |
Nov 2022: Only £5.95... |
Feb 2023: Only £5.95... |
May 2023: Only £5.95... |
August 2023: Only £9.99... |
Copyright © 2025 Anne-Wil Harzing. All rights reserved. Page last modified on Mon 29 Sep 2025 23:00
Anne-Wil Harzing is Emerita Professor of International Management at Middlesex University, London. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business, a select group of distinguished AIB members who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to the scholarly development of the field of international business. In addition to her academic duties, she also maintains the Journal Quality List and is the driving force behind the popular Publish or Perish software program.
