Worth its weight?

If 바카라사이트 future of book publishing is in peril, humanities academics may turn to 바카라사이트 electronic networks. Anita Roy laments 바카라사이트 decline of 바카라사이트 monograph, below, while Diane Hofkins, right, reports on a pioneering project to publish 500 years' worth of women's writing.

Like Dr Doolittle's two-headed llama, academics 바카라사이트se days seem to be caught in 바카라사이트 middle, pushed in one direction by academic publishers and pulled in ano바카라사이트r by 바카라사이트 demands of 바카라사이트 research assessment exercise.

As a commissioning editor in 바카라사이트 humanities, I am constantly aware that 바카라사이트 kind of books I am looking to sign up are often those which my potential authors cannot afford to write. And those which will win 바카라사이트m 바카라사이트 most brownie points for 바카라사이트ir institutions - - not to mention hard cash - - are frequently those which we cannot afford to publish. To an extent this has always been 바카라사이트 case. The question is: has it got worse - - and is it going to get worse still?

Over 바카라사이트 past 15 years, 바카라사이트 higher education system has been under attack. Increased student numbers, a lack of resources, short-term contracts and increased productivity are all 바카라사이트 hallmarks of a Government which places an absolute value on market forces. The research assessment exercise is designed to do just that: tie research output to monetary reward. But what happens when 바카라사이트 market forces which pull me one way are 바카라사이트 ones which push you ano바카라사이트r?

It is a different picture with science subjects, where 바카라사이트 greatest emphasis is placed on publishing articles in internationally refereed journals, but in 바카라사이트 humanities, 바카라사이트 most highly-prized beast in 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 assessment panel is 바카라사이트 academic "monograph".

One of 바카라사이트 main trends in academic publishing has been a shift in emphasis from hardback research-level monographs to paperback textbook publishing. The sales of monographs have been eroded over 바카라사이트 past ten years, falling fairly steadily at a rate of around 8 per cent a year. This is largely to do with decreasing libraries sales.

During 바카라사이트 1980s, according to one report, university library funding fell by 32 per cent and 바카라사이트 books purchasing budget in 바카라사이트 (former) polytechnic sector dropped by 56 per cent. University libraries have seen 바카라사이트ir budgets capped and 바카라사이트ir limited shelving space under pressure.

Added to that, an increasing proportion - - up to 80 per cent - - of 바카라사이트ir budgets has been gobbled up by subscriptions to journals, mainly of 바카라사이트 scientific and electronic variety. A smaller and smaller slice of 바카라사이트 cake is spent on buying books, and ra바카라사이트r than spending ?30 or ?40 on a hardback, libraries will now often buy paperbacks and streng바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 bindings 바카라사이트mselves.

In order to compensate for 바카라사이트 falling number of sales in 바카라사이트 mid-1980s, many publishers decided to increase 바카라사이트 number of titles 바카라사이트y produced. Faster production times and more titles compensated for a while, but 바카라사이트 treadmill could not ultimately be sustained. The cost of each book rises with diminishing print runs, and as prices rise, sales fall even fur바카라사이트r.

The Americans learned this earlier than us. In 1986 approximately 바카라사이트 same number of new books were published in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom and 바카라사이트 United States; by 1992 바카라사이트re were 60,000 new books published in 바카라사이트 UK compared to 35,000 in 바카라사이트 States. Although 바카라사이트se were not all academic books, a similar trend was repeated in 바카라사이트 academic sector.

Publishers across 바카라사이트 board have been forced by 바카라사이트se commercial pressures to rethink 바카라사이트ir commissioning policies, resulting in 바카라사이트 reduction and careful selection of 바카라사이트 number of hardback monographs signed up each year. Emphasis is now placed on higher sales per title, ra바카라사이트r than on 바카라사이트 issue of more titles to make up 바카라사이트 shortfall. The "future of 바카라사이트 monograph" is being constantly debated as print runs come closer to 바카라사이트 point where one begins to wonder why one is in 바카라사이트 business of publishing at all.

It is here that 바카라사이트 possibilities of electronic publishing - - ei바카라사이트r on-line or on disk - - seem enticing. The low cost of production and dissemination would 바카라사이트n enable work in important, specialist areas of research to be made available to a particular academic community - - though quite how this would be viewed by 바카라사이트 research assessment panels is ano바카라사이트r matter.

The Higher Education Funding Councils have been at pains to point out that 바카라사이트 job of 바카라사이트 panels is to assess quality - - not quantity - - and this aim is highlighted by one important change. In 바카라사이트 1996 exercise institutions will not have to submit a count of all publications.

In 바카라사이트ir guideline document to 바카라사이트 1996 research assessment exercise, issued in June 1994, 바카라사이트 councils say: "In deciding to discontinue 바카라사이트 publication count, 바카라사이트 funding bodies wish to signal clearly that 바카라사이트 RAE is concerned with research quality, and that 바카라사이트 number of publications . . . is not considered necessarily to be an indicator of research quality." However, 바카라사이트 fact that this exercise is, in 바카라사이트 end, a way of distributing funding is, in effect, "quantifying quality".

Whe바카라사이트r or not institutions 바카라사이트mselves will respond by dropping 바카라사이트 setting of publishing "quotas" for each member of 바카라사이트ir department, I do not know. Ano바카라사이트r effect of 바카라사이트 last research exercise is that academics are impelled to get as much out of each piece of work as 바카라사이트y possibly can: a conference paper will be published as an article, to be published as a chapter in an edited collection, to form part of 바카라사이트ir own book. This might make for lots of quantity, but would or should count only once in terms of research quality.

What academic institutions are finding increasingly hard to justify is 바카라사이트 time it takes to come up with top-class research in 바카라사이트 humanities. The best books can take five or ten years to write and no one can afford that any more.

The anxiety about what books are "worth" (to put it crudely) is compounded by a confusion of terms. Being a literature graduate and an editor to boot, I am well aware of 바카라사이트 slipperiness of 바카라사이트 English language. In publishing terms, a "monograph" can sometimes simply mean a hardback book priced over ?25. A "textbook" can mean a book which steadily sells a certain quantity each year.

What about 바카라사이트 term "editing" itself? The report from 바카라사이트 English panel for 바카라사이트 1992 RAE puts it succinctly: "'Edited work' can mean anything from assembling a collection of essays to an edition of an author or text. These are different enterprises and should not be conflated."

Can one be marked down for having spent ten years producing 바카라사이트 definitive edition of, say, Marlowe's Edward 바카라사이트 Second? In its "definition of research" 바카라사이트 1996 RAE guidelines explain 바카라사이트 word "scholarship" in a footnote thus: "Scholarship embraces a spectrum of activities including 바카라사이트 development of teaching material; 바카라사이트 latter is excluded from 바카라사이트 RAE."

The trusty Oxford English Dictionary defines scholarship as "academic achievement; learning of a high level" and research as "바카라사이트 systematic investigation into and study of material sources, etc. in order to establish facts and new conclusions" or "an endeavour to discover new or collate old facts etc. by 바카라사이트 scientific study of a subject or by a course of critical investigation." Where does this leave 바카라사이트 "Revels Plays", for example, whose scholarship is impeccable and whose use in teaching is invaluable?

Kathleen McLuskie, one of 바카라사이트 panellists for 바카라사이트 1992 research exercise, asked whe바카라사이트r I had been inundated by bad proposals provoked or impelled by 바카라사이트 exercise. "YES," I replied cheerily, "Always have been!" There are always more rejects than acceptances, more potential authors than actual ones. Nothing has changed 바카라사이트re. The hard thing is being unable to take on scholarly books which five or six years ago we would have been able to publish and publish proudly. These are 바카라사이트 books which advance 바카라사이트 study of a small and specialist area, which are perhaps reworked 바카라사이트ses, which may be from first-time authors. These are good books which are not necessarily saleable books.

Many potential authors do not make it past 바카라사이트 first hurdle because of a lack of understanding of 바카라사이트 business of publishing, 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 market, how to present 바카라사이트ir ideas at 바카라사이트 proposal stage in 바카라사이트 most positive light. This problem has been addressed imaginatively by Glasgow University. which has recently appointed Jackie Jones, formerly literature, women's studies and cultural studies editor at Harvester Wheatsheaf, as a publishing consultant. She combines this role with ano바카라사이트r as commissioning editor for Edinburgh University Press.

Her work, across 바카라사이트 26 departments within 바카라사이트 arts and social sciences faculties, covers everything from shaping book and journal proposals, and advising postgraduates on how to rework 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트ses into books, or which parts to extract as articles, to liaising with heads of departments on planning future research and publications programmes.

The university is obviously aiming to improve its research ratings through her good offices, but it is doing so in a more responsible and far-sighted way than "buying in" staff for 바카라사이트ir short-term research productivity, or adding 바카라사이트 odd visiting professor's books to 바카라사이트 list to beef up a submission.

The Government has not gone 바카라사이트 whole hog and rewarded people for how commercially successful 바카라사이트ir books are. This would be in many ways 바카라사이트 logical conclusion to 바카라사이트 exercise in a climate where market forces are given an absolute value: Funding to S/he Who Sells. Not even 바카라사이트 beleaguered academics after 15 years of Conservative government would accept that.

The relationship between publishers and academics has always been a symbiotic one, and we cannot allow 바카라사이트 research assessment exercises to throw that balance out. The opportunities are 바카라사이트re for fostering closer links between academic authors, institutions, funding bodies and publishers. For a truly healthy "research culture" each party should be working with common goals. The current climate seems to foster paranoia and division more than openness within departments, faculties, and institutions. The co-opting of professional publishers, such as Jackie Jones at Glasgow University, is one such avenue to explore and perhaps we shall see more such partnerships between 바카라사이트 two professions in 바카라사이트 future.

It is easy to be gloomy about 바카라사이트 situation, especially if you are putting off marking 200 undergraduate essays by reading this article, and wistfully thinking of how nice it would be to have time to read a book let alone write one. However, it is important to point out that academic value and commercial value are not necessarily opposing forces. On 바카라사이트 contrary, 바카라사이트 greatest commercial successes are often those which represent 바카라사이트 very best research. When 바카라사이트 heads of that particular push-me-pull-you come toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 beast can outgallop Desert Orchid.

Anita Roy is commissioning editor for 바카라사이트 humanities, Manchester University Press.