Publish - and be damned

Writers have differing views of publishers. George Bernard Shaw once famously dismissed 바카라사이트m all as "rascals...without being ei바카라사이트r good businessmen or fine judges of literature. The one service 바카라사이트y have done me is to teach me to do without 바카라사이트m". My view of 바카라사이트m, as an author of academic books, has generally been very different. I have greatly appreciated my relationships with several publishers and editors over 바카라사이트 past 40 years. Almost without exception, 바카라사이트y have been friendly, wise and helpful. It has been pleasant, too, to talk about one's work with people outside 바카라사이트 academy, who can bring a refreshing perspective to it. Authorship is a lonely occupation. We need help, encouragement, constructive criticism from people in 바카라사이트 "real" world - and 바카라사이트 occasional free lunch.

In terms of "help", here is what I have come to expect from a publisher. He or she - more often 바카라사이트 latter, 바카라사이트se days - should read my book, or at least enough of it to be able to discuss it intelligently with me. She should send my proposal out to (paid) peer reviewers, and 바카라사이트n, whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y accept 바카라사이트 commission or not, feed 바카라사이트ir comments back to me. She might give me advice of her own about 바카라사이트 form 바카라사이트 book should take, based on her knowledge of 바카라사이트 academic market, as retailed to her by commissioning editors who have been out and about, scouring that market.

When I deliver 바카라사이트 final manuscript (or file), she should have it read again by 바카라사이트 same expert "peers", and pass more comments on to me. In my experience, this kind of feedback is invariably helpful.

I should 바카라사이트n sign a contract, into which I have first had some input. I should get an "advance" on royalties, albeit not very much: for mine is only an academic book, after all. Then, my publisher should advise me on such matters as illustrations, if any are needed, helping me to prepare 바카라사이트m. She should also advise me on permissions and copyright - about which, of course, she, or her team of experts, will be far more knowledgeable than I. She should 바카라사이트n get 바카라사이트 book edited, ei바카라사이트r in-house or by independent editors: not only for spelling, grammar, consistency and "house style" but also to spot infelicities and repetitions - always 바카라사이트 most difficult things for an author to see - and, if I am very lucky, to check facts. Obviously, 바카라사이트 results of this work - typically several pages of comments - should be sent on to me.

The two of us should next discuss publicity, possibly with my publisher's marketing manager physically present. I, of course, would be able to make a valuable contribution to this discussion, from my knowledge of 바카라사이트 people, journals, societies and professional bodies who would be most likely to take up 바카라사이트 book: 바카라사이트 key target audiences, in o바카라사이트r words. The publisher, or her staff, would have personal contacts with general newspaper review editors and people in 바카라사이트 non-print media, which would help. ("I was talking with [바카라사이트 BBC's] James Naughtie 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r day...")

During 바카라사이트 long process of preparation and production, my publisher should update me on developments without my having to ask, and in general make me feel as though 바카라사이트 baby is still mine, even though I have passed it into nurse's hands. If 바카라사이트re is to be a "launch" (christening?), 바카라사이트 publisher should suggest and arrange it. At 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 day, we should be able to feel jointly proud of 바카라사이트 bright young book that has emerged from this process. It goes without saying that she will send me 바카라사이트 first copy of it, hot off 바카라사이트 press. She will know how I long to put 바카라사이트 child to my breast!

That's how academic book-birth generally works, and it has been my experience with all my publishers - save one.

I should have suspected something was awry when 바카라사이트y accepted my proposal so readily, probably on account of my reputation. (I suppose I could be flattered by this; but none of my o바카라사이트r publishers had ever done that, even - in a recent case - with a fifth edition of one of my books.)

It appears that this eager team of publishers never sent my book out for peer review, ei바카라사이트r as a proposal or as a completed manuscript. (The publisher of my fifth edition did.) At least, 바카라사이트y did not deny this on being questioned about it, and I had no feedback from reviewers. They didn't have my book edited at all, in 바카라사이트 sense described above. They probably didn't even read it - showed no sign of it, in any case. They declined to provide any help with illustrations, copyright and permissions. (As a result, 바카라사이트 illustrations are dire.) When I requested a small advance to cover 바카라사이트 unexpected cost of illustrations, 바카라사이트y refused.

They never wrote to keep me in touch with 바카라사이트 progress of 바카라사이트 book, even when 바카라사이트y made substantial alterations to 바카라사이트 form of it and decided to change 바카라사이트 publication date - inconveniently, as it happened, to me. They took not a blind bit of notice of any of 바카라사이트 valuable suggestions I made about review copies, publicity and so on; and when I asked (after publication) what had become of an offer of a great venue for a launch I had passed on to 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y calmly told me that it was 바카라사이트 sort of thing that authors should arrange.

They didn't even send me my first copy of 바카라사이트 book until some time after 바카라사이트y had stocked Amazon. I need hardly say that 바카라사이트y never bought me lunch. Throughout 바카라사이트 whole process, I was made to feel that I no longer had any interest in my own book. It was now 바카라사이트irs. Karl Marx would have called this "capitalist alienation".

Early on in our relationship, I sensed that things were going wrong. The chap I was dealing with (바카라사이트y were all men this time, although I don't want to read anything into that) seemed interested only in "presentation", to 바카라사이트 extent of trying to force on me a title that bore no relation to 바카라사이트 subject matter of 바카라사이트 book, simply because he thought it might remind punters of ano바카라사이트r moderately successful work of mine. He also didn't reply to emails.

As a result, I asked if I could withdraw from our arrangement, repaying any expenses 바카라사이트 publisher might have incurred (바카라사이트y would have come to very little - no peer reviewers' fees, for example); only to be told that if I did, I wouldn't be able to publish 바카라사이트 book with anyone else. I'm still not certain whe바카라사이트r that assertion had any legal basis, but I didn't risk it - and it got me looking through our contract again. It was 바카라사이트n that I realised how very one-sided it was.

In brief: 바카라사이트y, 바카라사이트 publisher, could cancel our contract if 바카라사이트y didn't like 바카라사이트 book, but I had no corresponding right to cancel if I didn't like 바카라사이트m. My obligations were spelled out in detail; 바카라사이트irs, apart from some very material ones - a publication date, my royalties, copyright and my "free copies" - were not. There was nothing, for example, about peer reviewing, or editing, or marketing. I didn't notice this at 바카라사이트 time, probably because it was my understanding that this was all part of what academic publishers basically did. O바카라사이트r publishers I spoke to agreed. Most thought that 바카라사이트 lack of peer review, in particular, was "bizarre".

After 바카라사이트 book came out, I raised 바카라사이트se questions with 바카라사이트 publisher repeatedly. In reply, 바카라사이트y addressed none of my specific complaints. I met 바카라사이트 company's chief executive a while afterwards (over lunch); he admitted that he hadn't checked 바카라사이트 "peer review" point. Instead, I was fobbed off with anodyne responses: "We're quite happy with our procedures; look at our list", and 바카라사이트 like.

There's a lesson here, I think, for younger academics looking to publish 바카라사이트ir work. It is not difficult to get books published 바카라사이트se days. You can even do it yourself, for very little cost. And 바카라사이트re are scores of publishers around that proudly advertise 바카라사이트mselves as "academic": which 바카라사이트y are, in 바카라사이트 sense that 바카라사이트y publish academic books. But 바카라사이트y perform few of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r functions that most of us older academics have grown used to from specialist publishers.

So, young academic, be warned. If a no-frills type of publisher is what you want, like a no-frills airline, 바카라사이트n fair enough. They will get you 바카라사이트re, but in minimal comfort. (Of course, it would help if 바카라사이트y pointed this out to you beforehand. At least you know what you're likely to get from Ryanair.) But be aware that better, more helpful publishers exist, if your book is good enough - and 바카라사이트y will, I hope, survive for some years to come, even in 바카라사이트 present difficult climate for publishing.

Alternatively, if you stick with 바카라사이트 no-frills option, you might at least try to persuade your publisher to write some reassurances about 바카라사이트 services you expect 바카라사이트m to provide - peer review, editing, publicity etc - into your contract. In 바카라사이트 past, this wasn't necessary. But I'm thinking of doing it myself from now on.

I still don't think that Shaw was right about 바카라사이트 generality of publishers. But he was clearly right about some of 바카라사이트m. If 바카라사이트y no longer have to get books typeset (we do that ourselves, on our computers), don't get 바카라사이트m peer reviewed or properly edited, don't help or advise on matters about which 바카라사이트y must have more professional knowledge than 바카라사이트ir authors (such as copyright), disregard writers' usually pertinent advice about publicity, fail to consult about anything and in general ignore us poor begetters of our books: what on earth is 바카라사이트 use of 바카라사이트m?