[Air-L] Book publishing questions

[Paloma Viejo Otero]

Thank you for your email. I am currently out of the office on vacation and will have limited access to email. I will return on August 15th and will respond to your message as soon as possible after that date.

Best regards


Vielen Dank für Ihre E-Mail. Ich bin derzeit im Urlaub und habe nur eingeschränkten Zugang zu meinen E-Mails. Ich kehre am 15. August zurück und werde Ihre Nachricht so bald wie möglich nach diesem Datum beantworten.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,


Paloma

On 19 Jul 2024, at 18:10, Luke Munn via Air-L <air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:

> Hi Mathias,
> 
> Some good questions. I could share some insights based on publishing six
> books.
> 
> Which Publisher?
> There are publisher ranking lists out there (e.g. Aus Pol Science), if
> you're interested purely in reputation. Of course, these are pretty
> subjective, and some of them are also outdated (SENSE list is from 2009),
> so take them with a healthy grain of salt. In general, there are no
> surprises - MIT, OUP etc are high ranked, smaller regional uni presses are
> lower ranked.
> 
> I would say certainly reputation/prestige matters, but you also want to aim
> for a good "fit." Publishers have editors with lists (e.g. history, STS,
> pol-sci, etc) and build up a catalogue and a reputation with that list.
> Some publishers are known for particular fields (e.g. Indigenous and
> critical race scholarship). You might select a decent publisher, but your
> book may fall between the cracks if it doesn't take this into account.
> 
> On that note, I'd look at your key citations - where did they publish?
> Routledge has a Surveillance Studies book series, Monahan and Wood just
> published a Surveillance Studies reader with OUP, etc. You want to find an
> editor that already "gets" this field and its significance, so that you can
> focus on convincing them of your contribution to it.
> 
> The final consideration is audience - who are you pitching your book to? Is
> it a highly specialized field and a select group of people? Are you trying
> to move beyond your discipline towards a broader audience (keeping in mind
> publishers will caution that very few books are for a truly 'general
> audience'). Again publishers are known for certain things: Duke is highly
> prestigious but selective and slow with slant towards critical and
> theoretical works, Verso is more popular and polemical, Routledge has a
> cookie cutter approach but a decent reputation and faster output times,
> etc.
> 
> Publishing Models
> A publisher could tell you much more, but in general many academic
> publishers rely on the library purchasing model. So hardcover and
> e-book versions for every title, which are sold at high prices to uni
> libraries. Some publishers stipulate that if your book does well, then they
> will release a paperback at lower cost. This research is not hard to do -
> just note the prices of books in the publisher's store, getting down to USD
> $20-$30 for a paperback is ideal IMO.
> 
> You should investigate this beforehand because absolutely price points and
> access will impact the readership of your book. Uni of Michigan, for
> example, has conducted its own trial, with some impressive stats, showing
> the difference open access makes to download numbers. Finally, a number of
> publishers are doing pay to open-access publish models, similar to an APC
> for an open-access journal. These can be highly expensive, but some
> universities do have open-access funds set aside, or you could build it
> into your research project budget. Again both ethically (e.g. far greater
> access for those in 'Global South' ) and in readership terms, open access
> is ideal - but ofc there are also institutional and individual constraints
> to negotiate.
> 
> Finally, a brief note on promotion. From my experience, even high-ranked
> publishers have very limited resources and budget to promote your book.
> They might have a few copies to send to awards, or they might have a couple
> booths at major conferences, or promote it with basic social media posts,
> etc - but essentially, you'll be driving the promotion. In a way, this
> makes sense, as you know your ideal readers, who you want to review it, who
> you want to see it and cite it, etc. Just worth knowing going into a
> contract.
> 
> Hope that helps.
> 
> nga mihi / best,
> Luke
> 
> 
> On Fri, 19 Jul 2024 at 07:47, Mathias Klang via Air-L <
> air-l at listserv.aoir.org> wrote:
> 
> Hello internet people,
> I’m looking for input about publishers for a book on the social impacts of
> surveillance technology.
> 
> Which publishers would you recommend with an eye towards promotion?
> 
> Whom have you enjoyed working with?
> 
> Added bonus if they do open access and/or don’t overprice the final
> product!
> 
> Grateful for any input
> Mathias
> 
> ——
> Dr Mathias Klang
> http://klangable.com
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