Academic Book Publishing 101

The talk will focus on scholarly publishing in the humanities and social sciences. It will provide an opportunity to ask questions about the process of publishing a book with a university press. Topics of discussion include:

• what distinguishes university presses from other publishers
• how to locate the appropriate publisher for your work
• how to prepare an attractive prospectus
• how to turn your thesis into a book
• sources of funding for scholarly monographs and collections
• the stages through which a manuscript must pass before publication
• what to expect of your publisher and what your publisher will expect of you

The session consists of a 45-minute presentation followed by a question and answer period. Bring your questions!

Facilitator

Since starting at UBC Press in 1996, Randy Schmidt has been a driving force within the acquisitions department.  During that time, he has helped guide hundreds of books from the proposal stage though peer review and into production. Along the way, he coordinated the launch of several well-respected series, including Law and Society and Nature | History | Society, and most recently he established the series Landmark Cases in Canadian Law. Randy's editorial approach is simple: find good manuscripts, shepherd them to publication in a timely manner, and make authors happy.