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Publisher analysis
About the publisher
Title: What is the name of the publisher?
Website: What is the URL of the publisher’s website? (copy/paste and add hyperlink)
Purpose, objective, or mission: Why does the publisher exist?
Target audience: Who are the intended readers of this publisher’s books? Give just a general description here; details will come below.
Owner: Who owns this publisher? Is it an association? A commercial business? An individual?
Peer reviewed? Are some or all proposals and/or books submitted to this publisher peer reviewed?
Types of books published: What types of books does this publisher publish? Read about the publisher, review the publisher’s catalog, and consider the purpose and content of the titles you find. Does this publisher specialize in a particular genre, such as professional development books or textbooks? Does this publisher focus exclusively on LIS books, or is LIS one of multiple subjects covered?
Medium: What mode of distribution does the publisher use for its books? Are these printed books? E-books? Audio books? Are books distributed in multiple formats?
Topics covered: Specifically, what sorts of topics does this publisher address? Review the publisher’s catalog and consider providing some sample titles.
Number of titles published per year: How many titles does this publisher release in a typical year? Sometimes this information is easily accessible, other times you may need to look at their entire catalog to see how many titles are published in the past few years.
About the publisher’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: Where can you find out about the publisher’s submission requirements and guidelines for authors? (copy/paste url and add hyperlink)
Types of submissions accepted: What types of proposals does the publisher generally accept? Is the publisher currently requesting proposals for manuscripts on certain subjects?
Submission and review process: Does the publisher require initial queries or full book proposals? Does it accept completed manuscripts? What information is essential to include in a proposal? How does the publisher accept inquiries? What happens to proposals after they’re submitted and how long must you wait to here back?
Editorial tone: Are there stated guidelines for the tone of this publisher’s books? Does the general tone seem formal? Informal? Academic? If there’s no indication of tone in the guidelines, what can you conclude from reading some sample book descriptions?
Style guide used: Does the publisher require the use of a particular style guide and/or dictionary? Does it use a published guide, an internal “house style,” or a combination of the two? Is there no mention of a required style guide?
Conclusion: Evaluation of the publisher’s potential for LIS authors
Critically review the publisher and its potential for LIS practitioners, educators, and student authors. Is this publisher authoritative and credible? What types of authors might consider submitting work to this publisher? You may wish to give examples of LIS-oriented topics could be appropriate to write about for this publisher.
Audience analysis
About the publisher’s readers
Size: How many readers are there? See if you can gauge the reach of the publisher based on the average number of copies per title published. Does this publisher produce niche books or best sellers?
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: Where are these readers located? Is the publisher focused on a local community or a particular state or country? Does it try to reach people all around the world? Will the location of these readers or the demographics of their region affect your language or approach as an author? Think about whether these readers would understand your cultural references.
Reader characteristics: Are most of the readers of a particular gender, age, cultural group, or other demographic? Do these readers share similar types of workplaces, jobs, levels of education, or professional interests? Such characteristics may be relevant for specialized publications.
Now think about the audience’s mindset. Are these readers likely to have established opinions or attitudes about library subjects? Do they share particular values? Does the publisher have a noticeably progressive or conservative bent? These things are especially important to know if your work is intended to be persuasive.
Readers’ knowledge of LIS subject matter: How much will these readers already know about LIS topics and issues? Will they understand LIS jargon and terminology?
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Think about what these readers have in common—or how diverse they are—and how their collective profile might affect proposals you submit to this publisher. As an author, what are the most important audience characteristics to keep in mind? Their level of technical knowledge? Their scholarly bent? Their interest in children’s issues? How might you adjust the tone of your writing or your approach to an LIS subject so you can reach this audience effectively?
If you did not address this in the conclusion of the Publisher Analysis section, you might give examples of LIS-oriented topics or writing strategies that would be appropriate for this audience.
Last updated: Enter the latest date page information was updated or verified (minor changes excluded)
References
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