Getting It Published: A Guide for Scholars and Anyone Else Serious about Serious Books (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing)

By William P. Germano

Book Overview

Writers and publishers depend on one another, but it often seems as if they speak two different languages. Getting It Published is a lively, insider's guide to academic publishing--a book that will tell you not only how publishing works, but how you can make it work for you. Written by a veteran editor with experience in both the university press and commercial worlds, the book fields the big questions in a scholar's life. Why do editors choose some books and decline others? How does a writer decide where to submit a project? How does the review process work, and why is it necessary? What can an author expect from a publishing house--before, during, and after publication? William Germano answers these questions and more, and along the way, offers encouragement, tips, and warnings.

This savvy guide unravels the mysteries of publishing and walks you through the process from start to finish. You'll learn how to think about your book before you submit it and what you need to know about your contract. With wit and humor, Germano also addresses some of the finer points of publishing etiquette, including how--and how not--to approach a busy editor and how to work with other publishing professionals on matters of design, marketing, and publicity. Graduate students, recent Ph.D.'s, and experienced authors alike will appreciate the chapters on "Quotations, Pictures, and Other Headaches" and on compiling and editing collections and anthologies.

"Scholarly publishing is a big, noisy, conversation about the ideas that shape our world," Germano writes, "Here's how to make your book part of that conversation."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226288447
• ISBN13: 9780226288444
• Release Date: May 2001
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Very useful for anyone interested in publishing his or her work

This is a great end-to-end book on the publishing business for scholars and trade publication authors. It gives an excellent overview of the business, talks about the ins and outs of contracts and provides a lot of useful inside information. This book is relatively short, but it is organized well and packed with useful "to the point" tips. It also introduces the vocabulary one needs to understand and negotiate publishing a book or other work. As the title suggests, this is a serious book, but it is an easy an enjoyable read. The author is very credible and you can trust the information contained within. I learned about this book from a fairly well known author and editor. He thought it was the single best resource on the topic. I own at least 5-6 other books on this subject and this is probably my favorite too.

Useful for scholars and trade authors alike!

Having read a number of books on publishing in the past several months, I was delighted to stumble upon "Getting It Published." Although it isn't directly related to my current career path - presently, I'm self-publishing a general trade nonfiction book, as opposed to a scholarly tome - I found Germano's advice to be helpful, thoughtful, and eloquent nonetheless. In welcome contrast to the many publishing books that are aimed at more general audiences, "Getting It Published" does not dumb itself down for the lowest common denominator. Germano's writing is witty, enjoyable, and informed - it's as though you're receiving guidance from your academic advisor rather than reading a how-to book written by some faceless, self-proclaimed publishing "guru." It should come as no surprise that Germano is the VP and publishing director at Routledge. His wealth of insight is remarkable - he covers the process of publishing scholarly work from beginning to end. From writing the manuscript, to crafting a successful proposal, signing a contract, and seeing the work through to publication, Germano doesn't miss a beat. He even covers the not-so-little details, like copyrights, permissions, quotations, artwork, and cover design. His discussion of the various publishing houses and their tasks ("What do publishers do?") was most informative. "Getting It Published" is a must-have for those new to scholarly publishing. Newbies to the world of publishing who aren't looking to publish scholarly work won't be disappointed, either - there's plenty of useful information in here for everyone. It also serves as a much-needed break from all those awful "For Dummies" books and "Idiot's Guides" that seem to saturate the publishing market!

useful handbook

Gives consistent and straight-forward advice, with a few bits of practical inspiration. There are no real trade secrets here, and Germano makes some points that are certainly arguable, but these qualities may be why this guide will remain current and useful for some time.

Tremendous

The former editorial director of the Columbia University Press lays it all out for aspiring non-fiction authors. From finding a publishing house to choosing a title for your work Germano provides solid advice which the would-be writer should ignore at his or her peril. His advice certainly made me re-think the working title "Get Over the Schmuck: Bereavement for Dummies" when submitting my motivational guide to coping with loss, and it paid dividends. An indispensible guide.

An expert publishing guide for scholars

William Germano became an expert in scholarly book publishing as editor in chief of Columbia University Press. Today, he is vice president and publishing director of Routledge. This book summarizes the most important lessons of a life in editorial development.Germano explains book development from two perspectives. As an editor and publisher, he explains what a book must do for the press that releases it. He helps aspiring authors - and editors - to understand their role in the process of creating and developing the book a publisher will produce.Germano's easygoing, informative style reminds me of the old-fashioned editors and publishers I have known. This is an overview of working with books intended for a scholarly or scientific audience. It is a systematic guidebook to the publishing process. It explains what publishers do, how a manuscript must be prepared, how to select a publisher, and how to propose a book. Then it explains how to work with publisher or editor from proposal to finished product.First-time authors and editors will find this a valuable resource that helps beginners to avoid common mistakes. Seasoned authors will find value in the concise, well structured tour of the publishing process.Book review published in Design Research News, Volume 6, Number 7, Jul 2001 ISSN 1473-3862.