WORKING WITH ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS

Lisa Quinn Acquisitions Editor, WLU Press

QUESTIONS OF FORM DETERMINING THE MOST EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION CHANNEL FOR YOUR RESEARCH

Question #1

What is the material or formal nature of your research? • Does it have a strong narrative through line? • Is it a series of forays into a research topic? • What is the nature of the data you work with?

Question #2

What are your resources? • Does the project have dedicated financial

support? How much? For how long? • Departmental support? • Institutional support?

Question #3

What is the role of this research in your career? What are your needs? • Hiring • Tenure • Promotion • Other

– Capstone work – Pedagogical goals – Political goals

Print Publishing Forms

Article

• Single or multiple voice • Intellectual capital very high if:

• Top refereed journal in your field • Single or higher ranked author

• Short • Smaller scale of argument • Requires tight focus

• Strategies for Success

Print Publishing Forms

Monograph

• Primarily single voice • Costs of co-authorship

• Long form—this is the realm of the sustained argument, and this requires time to produce

• Intellectual capital high: • published by a respected, peer reviewed press

• Strategies for success

Print Publishing Forms

Edited Collection

• Multiple voice • Combines advantages and weaknesses of article

and book length publication • Intellectual capital varies—risk is higher for junior

(pre-tenure) scholars

• Strategies for success

Digital Options: Opportunities and Costs Audience

• Will it reach your intended audience? • Accessibility

• Pros: access on the move, universal design, timeliness (depending on form)

• Cons: digital divide factors, longevity • Archiving

• How will you ensure the longevity of your work? • Resources

• Initial costs and beyond

WORKING WITH A UNIVERSITY PRESS A PARTNERSHIP FOR RESEARCH DISSEMINATION

Choosing a Press: First Steps

• Fit is key • Know what is important to you • Research what is important to the press

• Contact an acquisitions editor

• Assess their interest (and yours!) • Multiple submission policy • Communication, relationships and expectation

management

Qualities of a Successful Proposal

• Clear and concise • Thesis • Rationale:

• Origins of the work • Contribution to scholarship • Methodology

• Audience, Market

• Well structured, well written, well edited

Qualities of a Successful Proposal

• Thorough • Description of physical

elements: page length, word count, tables, charts

• Art program: all images & illustrations

• Permissions • Funding • Contributors and their

affiliations, including CVs • Chapter abstracts & sample

chapter, if completed

• Schedule of Completion • Special Considerations

(timing, components, etc.)

Ask for the Press requirements for proposal and follow them

Qualities of a Successful Proposal

• Targeted • Specify the ‘fit’ for the Press

tip #1: make sure you have addressed the correct press in your cover letter • Position of the work in the extant literature

Submitting Your Initial Manuscript

Include: • Title page • Table of Contents • Foreword, Preface • Introduction • Text body • Notes • Bibliography/Works Cited • Appendices, glossary, etc.

Check: • Citations are consistent

and correct • No identifying headers,

etc. • Spelling and grammar is

correct • Pagination is present and

correct

Submitting your Final Manuscript Images • Indicate specific placement in the manuscript with a

callout • Captions • Credits • Format:

– 300 dpi at a size of 4 x 6 inches minimum = approximately 1000 x 1500 pixels

– Most web formatted images are 72 dpi – Bitmap formats: .tif, .jpg, ,gif, .psd – If you are not certain, ask your editor as early as possible

Submitting your Final Manuscript

Permissions • Know your contract: assess who is responsible for

securing them • Do not make assumptions about fair use: consult

your editor for the press policy on interpretation of copyright

• Start early: acquiring permissions can take time and coordination of effort