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How to get Published…. Dr Jonathan Wilson, LAIBS 31 st Jan 2012. Books & Journals. Disseminate Knowledge Support and Communicate Cutting Edge Research Facilitate Student Learning Make a Profit. Making the right choices.
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How to get Published…. Dr Jonathan Wilson, LAIBS 31st Jan 2012
Books & Journals • Disseminate Knowledge • Support and Communicate Cutting Edge Research • Facilitate Student Learning • Make a Profit
Making the right choices... Your time is precious; you need to make sure that you maximise your academic impact without creating unnecessary work for yourself. You need to be STRATEGIC, PRAGMATIC & REALISTIC • Project • Product • Publisher
The Ideas Market – Where do projects come from? Your Research Identification of a Gap in the Market Your Teaching BOOKS JOURNALS You are responding to another article You need to publish your finding as a condition of your funding An editor gets in touch to commission a piece or to ask you to guest edit a special issue. You know of existing successful books in the market that you feel you can improve upon There isn’t a book for the course you are teaching A publisher gets in touch with an idea or a request for help in a given subject area
Academics and Publishers live and die by the quality of their content. You need to be strategic when deciding on a viable project but even more importantly you need to be REALISTIC. IS THERE REALLY AMARKET FOR THE ARTICLE / BOOK YOU ARE PROPOSING??? Project – Marketable Knowledge INTERNATIONAL?? UP-TO-DATE??? A GENUINE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD??? ORIGINAL??? BASED ON SOLID METHODOLOGY???
Product - Books • Long Term Projects – they can be a statement • Help to develop your academic profile • Relationship with Publisher • Money!!!! • Can contribute to the current body of literature • on the subject / Profile of the University
Although I mentioned money, you are unlikely to sell as many books as this person!
C O R E T E X T B O O K • A student-focused text designed to accompany a core UG (and occasionally graduate) course • Is required reading i.e. ‘Introductory Sociology’ or ‘Research Methods’ textbook • Very long and are full of student-centred features such as questions, boxes, cases and summaries • Level of publisher intervention – very high! • MAKE MONEY!!!
M O D U L A R T E X T B O O K • Student and course-focused; possibly a vehicle for original thinking or research • Tend to vary from their rivals a little more than core textbooks • Written for more varied, higher level, courses • Level of publisher intervention is still high • Can be profitable
MONOGRAPHS • A book based upon an original body of research carried out by the author (most commonly on the basis of PhD work or research carried out under a fellowship) • Specialised and high level. Often with an academic or researcher readership. • Sell VERY poorly. • Priced High & often Hardback Only Increasingly difficult to find publishers who will publish monographs as they are unprofitable.
Avoid the clichés... • Ignoring journal’s guidelines • Obscure title • Niche (domestic) empirical study • Applying to more than one journal at a time
Publisher – Books • Be Strategic • Target Appropriate Publishers • Are they established in your area? • Do they publish books that you use for your research? • Are they global / local? Do you need to update your research? • Would your title FIT their existing list? • Do they publish the TYPE of book you are proposing? • How is your book different? • Be Pragmatic... • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Books • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • The EDITOR is a human being • They are specialists in publishing • They have market knowledge but they are NOT academics • Personalise your cover letter – individual & company • They receive 10-15 unsolicited proposals a month • Reassure them that you have done your research • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Books • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • INFORMATION ! COMPETITION ! MARKET! PEDAGOGY! • Read the submission guidelines • Clear rationale • International potential? • Course details – provide outlines, numbers & institutions • Who is the competition? • Why is your project different / better? • Pedagogy - Imagine the page / sample material • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Books • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • INFORMATION ! COMPETITION ! MARKET! PEDAGOGY! • Fully referenced proposal • Course details • Sample chapter • Short CV • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Books • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • Be Realistic... • Significant costs – print, storage, delivery • Editor publishes 30 books a year • Contract – is deliberate; it reflects market expectations • Most editors reject 10+ proposals a month without review £££
Publisher – Journal Articles • Be Strategic • Target Appropriate Journals • Do you use the journal for your research? • Are the other articles related to yours? • Has the journal published regularly in this area? • Does the editor work in your field? • Specialised or General? • Be Pragmatic... • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Journal Articles • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • Do your research • References? Readers? • Online submission systems • Don't give them the opportunity to reject • Be Realistic...
Publisher – Journal Articles • Be Strategic... • Be Pragmatic... • Be Realistic ... • Many journals have a rejection rate of at least 75% • Perhaps consider trying smaller, newer journals • How long between acceptance and publication? • Is your article good enough? • Is it worth a go?
Last slide… Ask, Learn & Develop...Publish! Any questions?