September 21, 2009

Marketing your scholarly book

Publishing a book-length work remains the yardstick for tenure and promotion, and, increasingly, even for appointment within the academy. Learn how your book is marketed after it is published and what you can do to help the sales of your own work.

Career Corner at Congress 2009


Presenters: Jonathan Crago and Susan McIntosh, McGill-Queen's University Press and Emily Andrew and Elizabeth Whitten, UBC Press
Moderator: Kel Morin-Parsons, manager of the CFHSS Aid to Scholarly Publications Program

Marketing your scholarly book – an overview (6:18)

0:00 - 2:25    Importance of an author information form
2:25 - 3:23    Strategies to reach prospective buyers
3:23 - 4:18    Why should revisions to updated editions be noted?
4:18 - 5:04    Textbook potential
5:04 - 6:09    Book promotion – a starting point

Marketing your scholarly book – an overview (Part Two) (6:51)

0:00 - 1:02    Publishers' discussions about book potential
1:02 - 2:30    How trade publishing affects book production and promotion
2:30 - 4:39    Case study: Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs
4:39 - 6:42    Case study: Marketing the story of Sir Frederick Borden
 

Marketing your scholarly book – an overview (Part Three) (5:34)

0:00 - 1:22    Do scholarly monographs need to be popular?
1:22 - 2:40    Importance of author and marketer acting as a team
2:40 - 4:35    Can authors promote the book themselves?
4:35 - 5:25    Sending books off for review

Non-traditional forms of publishing (5:54)

0:00 - 1:20    Have electronic books changed publishing?
1:20 - 2:07    The digitization process in Canada
2:07 - 3:24    How e-books aren't all that different from print
3:24 - 4:55    Why e-books are cost-effective
4:55 - 4:43    Protection of copyright

Foreign publishing and the intricacies of production (6:02)

0:00 - 1:42    How to take the ASPP grant to a foreign publisher
1:42 - 2:35    Who is responsible for proofreading?    
2:35 - 4:42    Copy editing, proofreading and indexing
4:42 - 0:00    Importance of quick turnaround

Expenses associated with publishing and marketing books (5:24)

0:00 - 1:01    How often do scholars go on book tours?
1:01 - 1:51    Promotion with various local media and booksellers
1:51 - 5:13    Will electronic books replace print?

How do royalties work? (5:30)

0:00 - 0:46    What kinds of royalties can authors expect?
0:46 - 1:44    Registering with the Public Lending Rights Commission
1:44 - 3:14    Timing of the contract between author and publisher
3:14 - 5:22    The importance of indirect financial rewards
 

Who applies to the ASPP? (5:31)

0:00 - 3:21    Should authors submit applications before securing a publisher?
3:21 - 5:22    What are the benefits of consulting with a publisher first?
 

Does the ASPP fund technical books? (2:53)

0:00 - 1:39    What kinds of books does the ASPP fund?
1:39 - 2:44    Tips to find an appropriate publisher

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