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How to get Published…. Dr Jonathan Wilson, LAIBS 31 st Jan 2012 1

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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. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Page 1: How to get Published…

How to get Published….

Dr Jonathan Wilson, LAIBS31st Jan 2012

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Page 2: How to get Published…

Books & Journals

• Disseminate Knowledge• Support and Communicate Cutting Edge Research• Facilitate Student Learning• Make a Profit

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Page 3: How to get Published…

Making the right choices...

• Project• Product • Publisher

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

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Page 4: How to get Published…

The Ideas Market – Where do projects come from?

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

Your ResearchIdentification of a Gap in the

MarketYour Teaching

BOOKS JOURNALSYou 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.

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Page 5: How to get Published…

Project – Marketable Knowledge

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 A MARKET FOR THE ARTICLE / BOOK YOU ARE

PROPOSING???INTERNATIONAL??

ORIGINAL???

BASED ON SOLID METHODOLOGY???

UP-TO-DATE???

A GENUINE CONTRIBUTION TO THE FIELD???

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Page 6: How to get Published…

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 6

Page 7: How to get Published…

Although I mentioned money, you are unlikely to sell as many books

as this person!

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Page 8: How to get Published…

● 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!!!

CORE

TEXTBOOK

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Page 9: How to get Published…

MODULAR

TEXTBOOK

● 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

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Page 10: How to get Published…

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. 10

Page 12: How to get Published…

Publisher – Books

• Be StrategicTarget 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...

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Page 13: How to get Published…

• Be Strategic...

• Be Pragmatic...The EDITOR is a human being

They are specialists in publishing They have market knowledge but

they are NOT academicsPersonalise your cover letter – individual &

companyThey receive 10-15 unsolicited proposals a

month

Reassure them that you have done your research

• Be Realistic...

Publisher – Books

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Page 14: How to get Published…

• Be Strategic...

• Be Pragmatic... INFORMATION ! COMPETITION ! MARKET! PEDAGOGY!

Read the submission guidelinesClear rationale International potential? Course details – provide outlines, numbers

& institutionsWho is the competition?Why is your project different / better?Pedagogy - Imagine the page / sample

material

• Be Realistic...

Publisher – Books

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Page 15: How to get Published…

• Be Strategic...

• Be Pragmatic...

INFORMATION ! COMPETITION ! MARKET! PEDAGOGY!

Fully referenced proposalCourse detailsSample chapterShort CV

• Be Realistic...

Publisher – Books

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Page 16: How to get Published…

• Be Strategic...

• Be Pragmatic...

• Be Realistic...

Significant costs – print, storage, delivery

Editor publishes 30 books a yearContract – is deliberate; it reflects market

expectations

Most editors reject 10+ proposals a month without review

£££

Publisher – Books

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Page 19: How to get Published…

Publisher – Journal Articles

• Be Strategic...

• Be Pragmatic...

• Be Realistic ...Many journals have a rejection rate of at least 75%Perhaps consider trying smaller, newer journalsHow long between acceptance and publication?Is your article good enough?Is it worth a go?

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Page 20: How to get Published…

Last slide…

Ask, Learn & Develop...Publish!Any questions?

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