book it! maximize your association’s book publishing program teresa brinati society of american...
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Book It! Maximize Your Association’s Book Publishing Program
Teresa BrinatiSociety of American Archivists
Shaun HalloranAmerican Society of Civil Engineers
Joe VallinaAmerican Nurses Association
Content Is KingTeresa Brinati | Director of Publishing Society of American Archivists | [email protected]
Background Society of American Archivists Founded in 1936 Office in Chicago 6,100 members Budget of $2.5 million (book sales contribute 15%) 11 FTEs (including 2 in Publications) & 1 PTE 3 paid member appointments (PT offsite) —
Publications Editor (books), Journal Editor, Listserv Moderator
What’s an Archivist?
Archivists are professionals who acquire, manage, and preserve permanently valuable records — e.g., correspondence, reports, minutes, photographs, films, sound recordings, email, websites, digital images — of people, businesses, and government. These records are kept in archives because they have continuing value to the creating agency and to other potential users, like researchers and the public.
Audience / Customer Profile
Members Individual practitioners Educators Students and new
professionals Seasoned pros Allied pros
Nonmembers University bookstores “Accidental” archivists
Master’s degree or PhD Library & Info Science Archives Administration History Other Humanities IT
Scope of Publishing Program
Books (3 to 5 per year) Modules, Case Studies,
Samplers (5 to 10 per year) Semi-annual Journal
(76 years old) Bimonthly Magazine
(45 years old) Biweekly e-Newsletter Content-rich Website Social Media
(Blog, FB, Twitter, LinkedIn)
Guiding Principle: Foster a Culture of Publishing
Cultivate infrastructure, content, authors
Integrate content across publishing outlets and organizational departments
Perpetuate the program Celebrate authorship and service SELLabrate products
Cultivate Qualityin your infrastructure, process, output, and volunteers
Publications Board Proposal Review &
Acceptance/Rejection Editorial Process Design & Production Marketing & Sales Overall Publishing Experience
Cultivate Contributions
Origins: Members Component groups Annual Meeting
sessions Requests for
proposals Over-the-transom
Types: Theoretical writings about
the field Research Standards and best
practice Practical, how-to manuals Perspectives Case studies Other . . .
“Holistic” Approach
Books (40,000‒70,000 words)
Modules (10,000‒20,000 words)
Journal article (5,000 words)
Book Reviews(length varies)
Magazine article (750‒1,500 words)
Case Study(2,500 words)
Multiplatform publishing Print eBooks Web
Integrate Across Departments
Publishing Education Annual Meeting
Perpetuate the Species!
Hold a forum for prospective authors during Annual Meeting or host a webinar
Layout “steps” for contributing content so new voices are welcomed and repeat contributors nurtured
Post guidelines for publishing assorted content
Fostering the Culture
Authors as Evangelists . . . Testimonials Blog posts and magazine articles Board service External Reviewer
Send handwritten thank you notes and involve executive director and president
Invite all authors from preceding year to tribute during Annual Meeting
Awards for writing
Celebrate!
Book Signings & Signed Books
o Host a book signing event during your Annual Meeting
o Showcase a variety of authors in a convivial atmosphere
o Make sure to have “decoys”
o Signed books are a way to connect authors with program and readership
o Market books beyond launch
Organize an exclusive reading group event featuring an advance copy of a forthcoming book chapter (or journal article or magazine piece).
Hold a contest around a book’s topic. Give the book as the prize.
Be whimsical. Sponsor a haiku contest! Give “book bucks” or book coupons as the prize.
Engage Members
Haiku WinnerHey, handsome stranger Saw your pic in the archives Too bad you’re dead now
–Rebecca Goldman
THANK YOU!
Teresa Brinati
Director of Publishing | Society of American Archivists
[email protected] | 312.606.0722
LinkedIn: Teresa Brinati
Demystifying XML Production
Shaun Halloran
Senior Manager, Production
American Society of Civil Engineers
About ASCE
Founded in 1852 140,000 members 2 offices in Washington, DC metro area 250 employees; 30 in Publications Dept. ASCE Library online contains:
300 E-books370 Proceedings (42,000 articles)65,000 Journal articles
What is XML?
XML = eXtensible Markup Language Set of tags used to identify content
within a document Allows users to enforce rules within a
document (order of sections, number of elements, etc.)
Brings order to chaos (in theory)
What does XML do?
Captures the content of a document and identifies it
Separates content from style Ensures all necessary content is
present Allows outside parsers to validate the
integrity of the document
Human Readable vs. Machine Readable
Word XML
Benefits of XML Production
Source content can be reused for multiple outputs (print, online, etc.)
Built-in metadata Consistent output Files are portable – all major vendors
are capable of working with XML Easy conversion to other formats
(epub, HTML, etc.)
Types of XML Production
XML First: Manuscript is converted to XML early in
production, typically just before or just after copyediting
All composition work performed on one master file
XML Out: XML is derived from the final product Users continue to work with the tools they
are already familiar with
XML First vs. XML Out
XML First requires more training and commitment, but is more efficient given the right tools
XML Out is a lower barrier to entry, but forces users to maintain multiple master files (which could lead to problems)
Which is Right for You?
XML First XML Out
I have a highly regimented workflow and good vendor support:
I have highly stylized content and limited support options:
Additional Considerations
Journals and traditional books respond well to an XML First workflow
Highly stylized books may work better in an XML Out workflowBecause XML separates content from
style, certain books may be difficult to work with in an XML First scenario
Terminology
DTD = Document Type DefinitionDefines what can and cannot exist
within a document CSS = Cascading Style Sheets
Transforms the XML into stylized, human-readable output
SchematronPerforms external XML validation
Select a DTD
Numerous DTDs available: JATS/BITS/NLM/NCBI DocBook And lots more…
Ensure that your compositor has experience with your selection
Your online vendor may not support the DTD you prefer (and may require the use of a specific DTD)
Tools You’ll Need
XML Editor Oxygen, XMLSpy (individual) PTC Arbortext (corporate)
Composition software InDesign (individual, poor math support) 3B2 (corporate, steep learning curve)
Optional: MathML Editor (MathType, MathFlow) Content Management System
Learn From the Past…
Many organizations moved journals to an electronic/XML workflow first
There are more similarities between journal and book production than you might expectSimilar tagging model when using
related DTDs (e.g., JATS and BITS)Copyediting/composition is universal
…But Don’t Live in It
Do not replicate your existing workflow verbatim
Take advantage of electronic efficiencies (you can save some serious money!)
Converting to an XML production workflow is an excellent excuse to streamline multiple processes
Don’t Get Nervous
You don’t need to be a tagging expert to manage an XML production workflow (but knowledge is power)
Rely on colleagues and the community for initial support
Don’t believe everything your vendors tell you
Small Organizations: Start Small Develop an archive of XML content using
an XML-Out workflow Convert existing titles first to test procedures
without delaying content Use parsing tools to validate the XML
content and provide feedback to editors and vendors
Experiment with new style sheets to transform your archive into new products
Larger Organizations: Proceed with Caution
Test your new workflow on a single live title Plan for twice as much time as you think
you’ll need
Establish a transition schedule to move all production to an XML workflow, and stick to it
Devote time to participate in the larger XML community
Resources
Journal Article Tag Suite: http://jats.nlm.nih.gov/index.html
Book Interchange Tag Suite: http://jats.nlm.nih.gov/extensions/bits/
JATS List: http://www.mulberrytech.com/JATS/JATS-List/index.html
Validation Tools: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/pub/validation/
Contact Information
Shaun HalloranSenior Manager, ProductionASCE
P: 703-295-6215E: [email protected]
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/shaun-halloran/7a/209/243/
The Business of Association Books
Let’s make some money!
Joe Vallina, MSM
Publisher, American Nurses Assn.
About the American Nurses Assn.
ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the general public.
120,000 members Publishing is the #3 revenue driver for the organization Pubs staff comprises
Publisher Editor/Project Mgr. Sales Specialist Fulfillment/CSR specialist
The golden rule: Just because you’re a nonprofit doesn’t mean you can lose money.
Serve the mission! If you cost your organization $$$ you are not serving the mission, you’re hurting it!
Remember that an association publishing house should not be a board member vanity press
Use analysis to make sound business decisions on which books to publish
You are not there to publish pet projects, you’re there to earn revenue to support the mission.
Many times, publishers are pressured to produce books that are never going to make money, because an important donor or board member or CEO has a pet project. RESIST THIS!
But how?
The Business Case: Analysis is your friend
The business case should outlineBusiness concept/executive summaryEnvironmental trends/competitor
analysisMarketing analysisCost/profit analysisTiming/schedulePotential obstacles to implementation
The Business Concept/Executive Summary
This component should be your “elevator pitch” for the book
If you can’t describe the book in a couple of paragraphs, you may have a subject that is too broad to appeal to a targeted audience
Environmental trends/competitor analysis
How many books on the subject are out there? Ideally, you want a few, but not too many as to have a saturated market
Search for and list all competing titles, and outline at least the following: Title Publisher (could you partner?) Authors (better known than yours?) Date published (this tells you where in the book’s life
cycle it sits) Price (this helps you determine the price point for
your own book)
Marketing analysis
Outline all of your avenues to market the book here
What unique ways can you use to market? Book signingsAuthor speaking engagementsAds (online/print/other)BlastsSocial Media
Cost/profit Analysis
This is the most important consideration: Will the book be reasonably expected to make money?
Project your total expenses and determine a break-even point (use excel or another program)
Given the size of your target audience, what is a reasonable penetration target? Does this meet your goal? Be brutally honest here.
Timing
Outline a rough timeline for the project This doesn’t have to be down to the day,
you are just looking for a rough guide at this point
Potential obstacles to implementation
Make a list of all the things you could reasonably expect to go wrong and delay or derail the project
Note that if this list becomes too long it is a red flag that the project might not be ready for prime time
Tailor your recommendations using the business case tool
Explore all the different production options to reduce expenses and make the project work financially
Not all projects will succeed, but you will cover your bases and increase your success rate dramatically if you do critical business analysis for EVERY project
Never forget that publishing, even nonprofit publishing, is a business
The big takeaway
Remember: You don’t have to make a lot of money on every project* if you are supporting the mission; but losing money on any project hurts the mission!
*You should make a lot of money on every project!
Good luck and thank you!
Joe Vallina, MSM
301-628-5118
Twitter: @JoeVallina
Linkedin: Joe Vallina, MSM