In a recent posting to this blog, Emily Gillingham reported on some of what she and her colleagues learned from a recent meeting of Wiley Blackwell’s North American Customer Advisory Board—specifically, she listed ten of the challenges currently faced by librarians, which were discussed at the meeting.

In the same spirit and at Emily’s invitation, I have polled some of my colleagues who work for publishers, vendors, consultants, and other service providers on the commercial side of the scholarly communication equation. Here, based on the input I received (and with gratitude to my anonymous interlocutors), are ten of the biggest challenges publishers are currently facing, presented in no particular order:

Government involvement in the industry. Governments shape copyright (both by defining the law and by establishing patterns of enforcement or non-enforcement) and are increasingly involved in Open Access (OA) initiatives, about which more below.
Emergence of altmetrics. What gets measured is going to drive what gets produced. Academia’s confusion and disagreement over what should be measured and how measurement should be done creates radical ambiguity in the publishing marketplace.
Lack of respect and appreciation for what publishers do beyond simply adding value to content and making it available.
Customer budgets are flat or declining. Scholarly publishers’ traditional customer base—academic libraries—is working in an increasingly difficult budget environment. (This leads to the next issue…)
Limited growth opportunities. Business must generally grow or die, particularly if they answer to shareholders. When your customers’ budgets are tight and getting tighter, where will the money come from to invest in the transition from an old business to a new one? (This leads to the next issue…)
Maintaining a legacy business while simultaneously building a new business. This goes beyond just the (considerable) problems and expense of maintaining print while creating an online platform. The new publishing business may in fact turn out to be multiple businesses, and it’s not at all clear what those will be.

Read more: https://www.issacharprojects.com/10-challenges-scholarly-publishers-are-facing/


5 Ways Small Press Publishers Offer Opportunities for New Authors
When I queried my first novel, I was looking for an agent, with the intent of pitching the “Big Five” publishers, and maybe some of the bigger small presses, if necessary.

I got some bites for partial and full manuscripts, as well as some encouraging comments, but no contracts.

Then, a small press approached me through #Adpit–a Twitter event where authors try to entice agents and editors with 140-character pitches. My first thought was that if this small press wanted me, surely they were no good. (Or as Groucho Marx said, “I refuse to be part of any club that would have me as a member.”)

What can I say, I’m cynical by nature.

There are plenty of horror stories out there to justify my cynicism. So many small presses turn out to be scams or vanity presses in disguise, with business models based on profiting off authors instead of readers. Others’ simply fail and disappear into a black hole, taking authors’ story rights with them.

But I didn’t want to miss out on a legitimate opportunity, either. So I took two weeks and vetted the small press — hard.

Ultimately, I decided I’d rather fail by action than by inaction, and I took the plunge.

A year later, I’m so glad I took the risk. My small press has been an incredible partner in this whole publication journey. In fact, I think working with a small press for my first release was better for me than working with a Big Five publisher.

Why? Five big reasons.
1. They give me generous attention and support

As a newbie to publishing, this was major.

My publisher was very understanding of my questions and nerves, and especially helpful when I had questions. In fact, I feel welcome to shoot an email to the chief marketing officer and the chief operating officer (the co-founders) any time a question pops up — and of course, my editor too. They don’t just tolerate this; they have been supportive and excited for me every step of the way, and have tipped me off to some opportunities I would not have found on my own.

When my book launched, I received a detailed calendar of ads and promotions that my book would be marketed through, and the book got a number of reviews — and all were positive, save one who was just clearly not my target audience.
2. I’m getting an education in the publishing business

I expected to be excited when my book was released, but I was not prepared for what it would actually do to me.

I completely lost my mind. For a full month. Seriously.

Read More: https://www.issacharprojects.com/5-ways-small-press-publishers-offer-opportunities-for-new-authors/


Book Editing As a Form of Creative Discovery

Good book editing ensures a book is credible for its market and has the best chance of pleasing its readers. But the editor’s contribution goes well beyond grammar, spelling, and house style. Self-publishers have the opportunity to use an editor to bring out their true talents and aptitudes.
Dare to Be Different

When you self-publish, you get to choose a book editor who most closely suits your style and vision. At a traditional publisher, the editor has to serve the imprint’s agenda. As an indie publisher, your book editor works directly for you and can advise you on how to suit your market and also nurture you according to your individual strengths and interests. An indie editor will discuss what you want the book to be, which can sometimes open up new options you didn’t suspect you had.

A good book editor can spot when a writer has instincts that are untapped, or is working against their natural inclinations. And the editor can help them find a niche where they are more likely to publish successfully.
Second Novels . . . And Beyond

In traditional publishing, your first book sets your style and seals your fate. If you write a second that appeals to a different audience, a traditional publisher might try to make you stick to what you did originally, as traditional publishers are less inclined to take “risks”. With your earliest books, you may only just be discovering your potential. The self-publishing world is full of traditionally published novelists who went indie because they developed in a different direction after their first published works.

Read more: https://www.issacharprojects.com/book-editing-as-a-form-of-creative-discovery/