Several colleagues and I recently started discussing the idea of releasing an edited volume to commemorate an important anniversary next January (just over 11 months from now). Obviously, no one has written his/her chapter yet, and we'd probably each need a few months, meaning that first drafts wouldn't be done until perhaps June. We're wondering if it's possible, working on that timetable, to find a publisher who can have the book out by January. I've only talked with one editor so far, and he said it was impractical, at least for his press. Any ideas on a publisher that moves particularly quickly? Are we better off approaching a for-profit publisher rather than a university press?
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How quickly can a book be published?
(8 posts)-
Posted 7 months ago #
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Yeah, I can't imagine that'd be possible. I'd be hard pressed to think that you could even organize a conference and get everyone's contributions (even in draft form) in that short of a time, although that might present a more reasonable goal: hold a conference in commemoration of the important event, and let the edited volume trickle-out months (or more likely years) after that date.
Posted 7 months ago # -
Some presses get election books out pretty quickly. You might check with those publishers. I think I've seen fairly quick responses to events in books by CQ and Routledge. My sense is that it is more like 6-8 months as a minimum, but the editors at those presses should be in good position to tell you if your timetable is possible.
Posted 6 months ago # -
There is "impractical," and then there is "impractical." In general, commercial presses are geared to being able to move faster than university presses, but they are all somewhat capable of moving relatively quickly when they really want to (I know presses that have moved on accelerated schedules, but they were all exceptional cases). But they almost never want to move quickly -- it is not their publication model, and it is not their comparative advantage. Moreover, any given author who thinks that their book justifies the effort and expense of moving exceptionally fast is almost certainly wrong, and the odds of getting an edited volume (laying aside a halfway decent edited volume) to press on an accelerated schedule are very much against you. You might find a press willing to do it, but it would be a high-risk, low-reward proposition for them (and probably for you). You will have the best luck convincing someone if you have an established track record of success with edited volumes, all your contributors have a track record of speed and success and know exactly what they will produce, and you orient toward commercial publishers and have a clear financial reason why this needs to be done quickly (or not at all).
Posted 6 months ago # -
I would tend to agree with Khakis. I (along with a c0-editor) have a book series with a (relatively new) private press. My coauthor and I published a book with them a couple of years ago and we were very happy with the results, so we signed on to edit a series. They are very efficient and can be very, very quick (especially compared to a university press--we've had that experience too). But there has to be a really, really good reason to move something that quickly. Two of the first three books in the series that came out were edited volumes that were "complete" (i.e., all the chapters were there). With peer review, revisions, copy-editing, indexing, and proofing I think it was about 6-8 months to get into print. One of our titles that is going into the pipeline came to us in almost pristine condition a couple of months ago and just cleared peer review--it will be out for APSA (about 6 months). Hopefully that gives you an idea as to what you are looking at.
Posted 6 months ago # -
So it sounds like I'm hearing that it's possible, but impractical and unlikely. Oh well, such is life, we should've gotten moving earlier. I suppose we can still put together the volume, but just release it a bit after the anniversary, which is unfortunate because next January is probably the only time in the foreseeable future that any one in the general public will care about the topic at all (but let's be realistic, they wouldn't buy the book either way).
Posted 6 months ago # -
You know, there'll be another anniversary next year.
Posted 6 months ago # -
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……..,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯¯’’¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-,Posted 6 months ago #