It wasn’t something I could say very often in high school…or in college…or throughout the 1990s, for that matter. But I can say it now: I’ve got a date! In this case, I only mean a publication date for my upcoming book, Fundamentalist U: Keeping the Faith in American Higher Education.

There’s still a lot to do. The copyeditor at Oxford will take a whack at my manuscript. Then she’ll send me a list of suggested changes and edits. I’ll give the whole thing the once-over and send it back. Then they produce proofs. At that stage, I will fine-tooth-comb the proofs, looking out for any typos. Most important—and most time-consuming—I will also prepare an index. It takes a lot of time, but with my second book I found indexing to be surprisingly satisfying intellectual endeavor.

So when will the new book hit the shelves? January 1, 2018.

At least, that’s our current plan. Things can happen and slow down the process, but if all goes well, the new year will have a new book for company.