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Edited texts: Chasing contributions

When starting:

• Set firm deadlines straight away and try to pick a day or date that

will stick in the contributor’s mind (i.e. the last day before theChristmas break)

• Be organised: keep a spreadsheet of all contributors, their contact

details, and their latest agreed deadline

• Give a clear brief (word limits, features to include, referencingstyle, etc) and circulate this even if you have a sample chapteravailable – it needs to be short so the contributor doesn’t feeloverwhelmed by the task

• Make sure the contributors have an editor assigned to them and

full contact details

• Create a sense of team – could you share the completed proposal

or an early sample chapter, or even set up a developmentalwebsite?

• Be prepared to chase regularly – and make a point of prompting

the team at least a fortnight before their final document is due

Dealing with a non-deliverer:

• Set stages - could you ask your contributor to show you parts of their chapter, if not the whole thing? Shorter deadlines cansometimes encourage people to prioritise

• Get back to any queries promptly – the contributors should sense

the urgency and reciprocate

• Use the phone or, better, visit in person - it's much harder to let

someone down face-to-face or in conversation than via email

• Sharing delivered chapters - if everyone felt comfortable with this,

it could be a good way of inspiring those yet to complete

• Support from the publisher – if you have any queries or are having

particular trouble with a contributor do contact your editor whomay be able to offer further suggestions or help.

It's probably also worth explaining the impact of not sticking to schedule,as contributors often feel unrelated to the bigger project:

• Impact on other contributors: the longer a project stalls, the more

material already produced will date. This is frustrating for thecontributors who have delivered, as they won't receive paymentfor their work, and will face a big task to revise at final stage

 

Palgrave Publishers Ltd

Brunel Road

Houndmills, Basingstoke

Hampshire RG21 6XS

UK 

 Tel +44 (0)1256 329242

www.palgrave.com

 

• Impact on book reception: obviously, if the chapters don't appear

on time, the book won't appear on time and this can causeproblems. We run the risk of the market changing and competitionpublishing, and that affects sales potential

• Impact on publishers: we have the book slated for a particularyear, and sales and marketing efforts start early. For a major title,marketing budget and plans are allocated from the signature of contract - slippages affect whole campaigns, and it can be hard torearrange these at short notice

• Impact on booksellers: although this is only relevant later in the

process, it's another indication of the chain of events that underpinsales efforts. Advance information about the book is issued tobookshops, about six months before it publishes - they take stockon a monthly basis and allocate shelf space for that month basedon the products that are due to come in - any movement thereforeaffects the potential for in-store displays and, in the worst case,presence on the bookshop floor at all

In short, you should take a reasonably tough stance with yourcontributors. Once they’ve made a commitment to supply material, it'simportant that they realise the problems that non-delivery can cause.Although a few weeks here and there may seem quite trivial, in actualfact it can have a long-term impact on the project - putting extrapressure on you the editors to make amendments quickly, on thepublisher to rush changes through or risk missing important publishingwindows, and on the book itself, which may ultimately end up publishinginto a very different market than that planned. At the extreme end, if you're facing one serial non-deliverer, then don't be afraid to threaten to(or actually) cut their contribution completely.

Of course, there are often very good reasons why reliable contributorsneed a little extra time to complete, so it'll be up to you as editors tomake that call and, if you decide that they will deliver, devise plans towork around them accordingly. You shouldn’t hesitate to ask me foradvice about this should the situation arise.

Best of luck!