1 / 64

Tony McSeán, Director of Library Relations, Elsevier

THE BUSINESS OF JOURNAL PUBLISHING. The management, economics and electronic hosting of scholarly journals. Tony McSeán, Director of Library Relations, Elsevier Jane Smith, British Medical Association Library UKSG, Serials Resource Management for the 21st Century: an introduction. 8 June, 2005.

luz
Download Presentation

Tony McSeán, Director of Library Relations, Elsevier

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. THE BUSINESS OF JOURNAL PUBLISHING The management, economics and electronic hosting of scholarly journals Tony McSeán, Director of Library Relations, Elsevier Jane Smith, British Medical Association Library UKSG, Serials Resource Management for the 21st Century: an introduction. 8 June, 2005

  2. Publishing and Publishers A. J. Ayer: "If I had been someone not very clever, I would have done an easier job like publishing. That's the easiest job I can think of.”

  3. Publishing and Publishers A. J. Ayer: "If I had been someone not very clever, I would have done an easier job like publishing. That's the easiest job I can think of.” Cyril Connolly: “As repressed sadists are supposed to become policemen or butchers, so those with an irrational fear of life become publishers.”

  4. Publishing and Publishers A. J. Ayer: "If I had been someone not very clever, I would have done an easier job like publishing. That's the easiest job I can think of.” Cyril Connolly: “As repressed sadists are supposed to become policemen or butchers, so those with an irrational fear of life become publishers.” Peter Lewis: “As a university library director my life was full of senior academics telling me how much better they could do my job if only they could be bothered to find the time.”

  5. Henry Oldenburg First Journals: 1665

  6. Journal Growth 1665-2001

  7. Main Cause of Journal Growth

  8. Starting New Journals • Proposals come from scholars • Only 1 in 20 lead to a new title

  9. Starting New Journals • Proposals come from scholars • Only 1 in 20 lead to a new title • Key questions a publisher asks • is there an identifiable critical mass of authors? • is there an adequate journal already? • are the authors concentrated in a new area or scattered among several old ones? • who will be the readership? • credibility of the proposer?

  10. Publishing and Publishers A. J. Ayer: "If I had been someone not very clever, I would have done an easier job like publishing. That's the easiest job I can think of.” Cyril Connolly: “As repressed sadists are supposed to become policemen or butchers, so those with an irrational fear of life become publishers.” Peter Lewis: “As a university library director my life was full of senior academics telling me how much better they could do my job if only they could be bothered to find the time.”

  11. Starting New Journals • Proposals come from scholars • Only 1 in 20 lead to a new title • Key questions a publisher asks • is there an identifiable critical mass of authors? • is there an adequate journal already? • are the authors concentrated in a new area or scattered among several old ones? • who will be the readership? • credibility of the proposer?

  12. Reasons for Saying “No” • Too few papers will be submitted • Area is not a real sociological grouping of researchers • Area is too young or too diffuse • Existing titles already satisfy authors’ needs

  13. Reasons for Saying “No” • Too few papers will be submitted • Area is not a real sociological grouping of researchers • Area is too young or too diffuse • Existing titles already satisfy authors’ needs • Readership is too interdisciplinary to influence institutional buying decisions

  14. Reasons for Saying “No” • Too few papers will be submitted • Area is not a real sociological grouping of researchers • Area is too young or too diffuse • Existing titles already satisfy authors’ needs • Readership is too interdisciplinary to influence institutional buying decisions • Growth of new area too slow to be viable

  15. Reasons for Saying “No” • Too few papers will be submitted • Area is not a real sociological grouping of researchers • Area is too young or too diffuse • Existing titles already satisfy authors’ needs • Readership is too interdisciplinary to influence institutional buying decisions • Growth of new area too slow to be viable • Financial benefits low compared to risks

  16. Reasons for Saying “No” • Too few papers will be submitted • Area is not a real sociological grouping of researchers • Area is too young or too diffuse • Existing titles already satisfy authors’ needs • Readership is too interdisciplinary to influence institutional buying decisions • Growth of new area too slow to be viable • Financial benefits low compared to risks • Surer developments already under way

  17. New Journal Breakeven Time surplus 7 years 0 time loss

  18. Getting The New Journal Running • Editor & Editorial Office • Editorial Board • Launch • Verdict

  19. Getting The New Journal Running • Editor & Editorial Office • Editorial Board • Launch • Verdict

  20. Setting Up An Editorial Office • First, … find your Editor! • Researcher working in the field • Recognised authority with administrative flair

  21. Setting Up An Editorial Office • First, … find your Editor! • Researcher working in the field • Recognised authority with administrative flair • Setting up an editorial office • agree scope of journal and nature of support • find location and negotiate lease • supply equipment, material and staff • help create referee database

  22. Setting Up An Editorial Office • First, … find your Editor! • Researcher working in the field • Recognised authority with administrative flair • Setting up an editorial office • agree scope of journal and nature of support • find location and negotiate lease • supply equipment, material and staff • help create referee database • Support costs: typically 10-15% of income paid directly by the publisher

  23. Getting The New Journal Running • Editor & Editorial Office • Editorial Board • Launch • Verdict

  24. Establish The Editorial Board • With Editor(s), identify key members of research community served by the journal • the academic “Great and the Good”

  25. Establish The Editorial Board • With Editor(s), identify key members of research community served by the journal • the academic “Great and the Good” • Persuade them of the virtue of the title

  26. Establish The Editorial Board • With Editor(s), identify key members of research community served by the journal • the academic “Great and the Good” • Persuade them of the virtue of the title • Get them to submit some papers for the inaugural issue, or encourage other good authors to submit and/or review

  27. Getting The New Journal Running • Editor & Editorial Office • Editorial Board • Launch • Verdict

  28. Actions to Launch • Send out a call for papers

  29. Actions to Launch • Send out a call for papers • Decide on cover design etc. with Editor(s)

  30. Actions to Launch • Send out a call for papers • Decide on cover design etc. with Editor(s) • When enough papers received, assemble inaugural issue

  31. Actions to Launch • Send out a call for papers • Decide on cover design etc. with Editor(s) • When enough papers received, assemble inaugural issue • Promote existence to libraries and potential readers • direct mail campaigns • free sample issues at conferences

  32. Actions to Launch • Send out a call for papers • Decide on cover design etc. with Editor(s) • When enough papers received, assemble inaugural issue • Promote existence to libraries and potential readers • direct mail campaigns • free sample issues at conferences • Launch and monitor paper flow and subscriptions

  33. Getting The New Journal Running • Editor & Editorial Office • Editorial Board • Launch • Verdict

  34. New Journal Breakeven Time surplus 7 years 0 time loss

  35. Publishing Cycle Lite

  36. Publishing Cycle Classic

  37. What Does The Journal Editor Do? • Public face of the journal

  38. What Does The Journal Editor Do? • Public face of the journal • Decides on what gets published • type and standard of paper

  39. What Does The Journal Editor Do? • Public face of the journal • Decides on what gets published • type and standard of paper • Sets editorial policies • with editorial board & publishers’ editor

  40. What Does The Journal Editor Do? • Public face of the journal • Decides on what gets published • type and standard of paper • Sets editorial policies • with editorial board & publishers’ editor • Runs the peer review process • supported by an editorial office funded by the publisher

  41. Peer Review • A methodological check • soundness of argument • supporting data and cited references • Done by two anonymous academics • (“the reviewers”) • Reviewers peer review without payment • costs of administering the selection of reviewers, postage and document costs are borne by the journal • On average 30% more papers are reviewed than published

  42. Publishing Cycle Classic

  43. What Does The Publisher Do? • Editorial management • monitor editorial office efficiency and efficacy • time for reviews, responsiveness to authors

  44. What Does The Publisher Do? • Editorial management • monitor editorial office efficiency and efficacy • time for reviews, responsiveness to authors • monitor key success indicators • copyflow, subscription levels, quality indicators, author satisfaction

  45. What Does The Publisher Do? • Editorial management • monitor editorial office efficiency and efficacy • time for reviews, responsiveness to authors • monitor key success indicators • copyflow, subscription levels, quality indicators, author satisfaction • monitor research trends • include where relevant:special issues, invited papers, conference issues

  46. What Does The Publisher Do? • Editorial management • monitor editorial office efficiency and efficacy • time for reviews, responsiveness to authors • monitor key success indicators • copyflow, subscription levels, quality indicators, author satisfaction • monitor research trends • include where relevant:special issues, invited papers, conference issues • take action • does journal need to expand? • does editor need replacing?

  47. What Does The Publisher Do? • Business management • control costs and set financial goals • review subscription development • review production costs and set page budgets • set guide price • close a failing journal

  48. Manufacturing The Journal • Production • work flow management • file conversion, typesetting and editing • supplier management

  49. Manufacturing The Journal • Production • work flow management • file conversion, typesetting and editing • supplier management • Electronic hosting • secure online host, 24/7/365 • scalable • access and entitlements • disaster recovery • assured perpetual archiving

  50. Promotion, Distribution and Sales • Promotion and marketing • Direct mail and web brochures and leaflets • Exhibitions and advertising • Information on products and prices in general

More Related