An Author's Guide to Scholarly Publishing (Paperback)

~ Robin Derricourt (Author) "Dear Ms. Construe, On the telephone you said you would be sending us details of your new book..." (more)
Key Phrases: proposed output, scholarly authors, publishing decision, Third World (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

In An Author's Guide to Scholarly Publishing, Robin Derricourt divides his energy between informing potential authors about the ins and outs of scholarly publishing and training them to be the kinds of writers scholarly publishers enjoy working with. For 12 years the publishing director for Cambridge University Press (in England and Australia) and a published academician himself, Derricourt brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to his subject. Academic publishing is a world unto itself, in which publishing's accepted rules of engagement--agents, enigmatic titles, attention-getting design, publication parties--do not apply.

Derricourt, writing in epistolary style, is a hand-holder of the best kind: blunt ("the likelihood is that any particular book will not suit us"), funny (the chapter discussing peer review is addressed "Dear Judy Cation"), and very helpful. Ever so gently, Derricourt enumerates the qualities that make some academic authors so stellar, such as stylish writing, organization, and copyeditor appreciation ("the copyeditor is the only person who will have read every word of your book with care"). Within these pages, Derricourt advises on the creation of bibliographies, tables, edited volumes, indexes, and so many other elements of the publishing process. One chapter even offers a detailed explanation of how publishers calculate a book's price. Surprise: there's a formula; publishers don't "just invent the highest price they think they can get away with." --Jane Steinberg

Review

Academics wanting to make their mark in the book market need good advice. Robin Derricourt provides just this in An Author's Guide to Scholarly Publishing.... [The author] is full of humour as he pinpoints where each submission fails or succeeds. -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (March 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691037094
• ISBN-13: 978-0691037097
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #371,990 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Distracting Format, May 28, 2006

By	Myra Bradwell - See all my reviews

While the author may know a considerable amount about academic publishing, the book's format -- composed of a fictional series of letters to authors who've supposedly committed mistakes in the publishing process or who've supposedly asked questions they want answered -- is distracting and keeps the author from addressing his subject in an in-depth, serious way. William Germano's book, Getting It Published, covers this subject in a more comprehensive, more easily accessible form.

5 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful guide to how scholarly publishers operate., April 3, 1997

By A Customer

Derricourt does a wonderful job of explaining many aspects of the scholarly book publishing process from the publisher's point of view. His writing style is quite entertaining and easy to read. And the book is designed well, too