As part of its mission to address issues of recruitment, retention, and integration of women and people of color in the profession, the APSA Task Force on Mentoring periodically publishes articles on some aspect of mentoring that will help political scientists move successfully through the profession. This brief symposium on “Publishing Your First Book” is just one such example of this initiative. For more information about the Task Force and its ongoing projects, contact Linda Lopez, APSA Director of Education and Professional Development Programs, at llopez@apsanet.org.

The right contract can make or break tenure and promotion. The following article presents pearls of wisdom from David Meyer, Clyde Wilcox, Susan Clarke, Terri Givens, Carol Swain, Robert Spitzer, and Peter Labella. We divide these suggestions into two parts—those on obtaining and those on negotiating a contract.