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2005 Minority Grant Reports
Cynthia Williams
Louisiana State University Press
Overall, the AAUP Annual Meeting was a terrific venue for me to get a sense of scholarly publishing’s purpose and to relate to other editors—acquisitions and manuscript, beginners and veterans. Too, the conference renewed my passion for learning in general and for participating in the publishing process.
The speakers heightened my awareness of issues in academic publishing and the social responsibility of scholarly presses. Dana Gioia’s speech in particular opened my eyes to the impact a literary public can make on society. His plea for scholarly authors to present their specialized ideas to America in a more accessible way also resonated with me. Gioia’s message was daunting (the dire statistics regarding weaning numbers of adult readers) but also uplifting (the connection between literary reading and being a functional part of local, national, or world communities). I came to see that university presses make a difference in the publishing world, offering ideas that may not be available through mainstream media. Lynn Withey spoke of “the best of scholarly publishing” when she noted the Books for Understanding series, and she gave newcomers a look at issues that affect the publishing world when she discussed presses defending authors’ privacy but navigating new technological advances in the face of the Google Scholar controversy.
The “Digital Art Handling” workshop provided me with useful information on raster images, vector images, and much more. Michael Brehm of the University of Chicago’s production department offered advice based on procedures followed at that press, which will certainly be helpful to my department. Allison Kalett, an acquisitions editor from Cornell University Press, discussed art handling from an editor’s perspective. She gave some points to consider when deciding which author-supplied photos to use: (1) Ten to fifteen photos should be enough. (2) Are the photos relevant? (3) Will the addition of more photos increase the cost of the book? (4) Can the photo’s concept be expressed in a sentence? Kalett also emphasized the importance of finalizing an art program early.
From attending the workshops on editing and by talking to attendees from different presses, I got acquainted with the different approaches to the craft and the myriad editorial procedures of other university presses. I was surprised at how many presses farmed out 100 percent of all their editing, using production editors to handle manuscripts in-house. Advice on approaches to editing and editing “philosophy” was abundant, though, in my opinion, the majority was geared toward acquisitions editors. Lys Ann Shore, a freelance editor, enlightened project editors on greater consideration for freelancers’ schedules and put forth her philosophy that copy editors were to aid scholarly authors in “clarity of thought and writing.” Rob Dilworth of Duke University’s journals division emphasized the need for project editors to develop multitasking skills and transferable job skills, so as not to be complacent.
Fortunately for me, most of the focus of “The Young and the Restless” workshop was on editors. After the clamor of moans about being at the low end of the totem pole had died down, Walter Biggins expressed his opinion on career development, with which I certainly agree: he noted that his career development as an acquisitions editorial assistant has been steady and moderate, and he prefers it that way. As a result, he’s had time to make his current position his own, pick his colleagues’ brains, and when the time comes to move onto a position handling more responsibility, more than likely he won’t be thrown into a situation with challenges he hasn’t seen or isn’t ready for. Upon asking a question of my own regarding career advance and professional development for copy editors (someone had to speak up for us in the midst of this acquisitions jungle), the room exploded (in its own quiet, editorial way) with advice from older copy editors who were in attendance: seek an administrative position that allows you to edit and still handle managerial duties (if you still want to get your hands in editing projects as your career progresses), “up your copyediting game” by developing the ability to take on projects that need more substantial editing; edit papers for professors; be able to train others to copyedit; become a freelancer yourself.
Contentment with gradual career advancement aside, I was still glad—and surprised—to see so many young managing editors at the conference! This prompted me to peek into the “Becoming a Manager” session. In a very interactive and informal setting, Mary Lynn Dixon and Meredith Morris-Babb led discussions about hiring, employee evaluations, firing, budget concerns, and resources available for managers through their university human resources departments. I’m sure the panelists there deposited many gems of managerial wisdom into my brain, which I’ll certainly retrieve when the time comes, for I now have the goal of someday becoming managing editor of some lucky university press that publishes books that bar none, broadcasting truths, histories, and love of language. And I’m elated that there are so many presses from which to choose.
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Mollika Basu
Wayne State University Press
Attending the meeting 2005 AAUP Meeting in Philadelphia, for my first business trip, on the minority grant gave me a unique perspective; it forced me to justify receiving such an award and in turn enriched my overall experience.
Being a second generation East Indian in North America, the study of liberal arts, let alone a career in the arts, I was never encouraged. In attending the AAUP meeting, I met successful individuals in the publishing industry of various educational, professional, and racial backgrounds, including those similar to myself. I alone had not strayed from the “acceptable” path. The conference further deepened my appreciation of the scholarly mission of university presses; these institutions inherently give minorities an outlet and also invest in seeking out minority audiences.
The 2005 AAUP Meeting in Philadelphia has been the most significant event in my short professional career to date. I was relieved to discover that I was not the only person with job responsibilities that far exceeded my official title. I loved being able to play ambassador for not only my press, but for the city of Detroit as well. I met admirable colleagues and it was comforting to put faces to some of the incredibly helpful names on the AAUP’s list-servs. I feel lucky to be part of a group that loves what they do despite the financial hardships. Being an MBA candidate, it is also pleasing to see the successful application of the business model to the non-profit university press industry.
Attending the pre-meeting fundraising workshop was the highlight of the meeting. It is encouraging to see that presses are succeeding in making fund-raising a central part of their publishing operation. The pre-meeting was well organized, well refereed, and very informative. I was thrilled to be able to interact with directors and fundraising professionals from prestigious presses in a highly entertaining and effective round-table format. I came away with a network of support and numerous ideas that I have been able to begin implementing here at Wayne State University Press. I look forward to attending the next such workshop.
Attending the Rights and Permissions breakfast was another highlight of the meeting. I was pleased to find others whose duty it is to handle Permissions for their entire press, while I was also inspired when I met others who specialize in merely Rights. I came away from this meeting with a network of support and a slew of ideas to maximize my efficiency as I handle both these areas for my Press. Individuals that I met at the conference have since been helpful in advising me with the development of our own licensing program to extend the life of our backlist while further pursuing the goal of disseminating knowledge.
I am grateful on a professional level as well as a personal level to have had the opportunity to attend this meeting, especially on such a scholarship, and at such an early stage in my career. I have chosen a path quite unlike one which would have been expected of me by my culture. To be able to interact with members of this community has strengthened my belief in my choice. I am an ambassador within my culture as well as to those outside the world of university press publishing. What we do in university press publishing is extremely important and our commitment to providing the minority voice with an outlet is just one of our many strengths. I thank the American Association of University Presses and all of its members for providing such wonderful opportunities for career development.
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Anitra Grisales
Duke University Press
Many thanks to the AAUP for generously providing me with the opportunity to attend the 2005 Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. As a relatively new member of the academic publishing community—I started with Duke University Press in June of 2004—the meeting provided me with invaluable perspectives on scholarly publishing. I now have a broader picture of the industry in general, from the diverse people and presses that make up the community to some perceptions held by those outside of it.
Panels like “The Politics of Publishing,” which opened the meeting, along with Dana Gioia’s provocative speech and “Taking Stock of Risk: What Commercial and University Press Publishers can Learn from Each Other” speak to the conference’s varied program. “Trends in Book Coverage,” which featured editors from The New Yorker, the NYRB, Book Forum, Slate, and a producer from NPR, was one of the more revealing panels in terms of seeing how academic books are received outside of academia. In this and other sessions, including “New Trends in Academic Publishing,” I heard support for the innovation and scholarly rigor that characterize many of the works that we publish, but I also noted a call for more accessible, current, and applicable books. Robert Scholes’ talk about the state of literary studies was particularly engaging, as he suggested that the old model of the “professor as explicator” should finally be laid to rest. He advocated for lively books that intervene in public discourse and offer textual analyses that are vital and current to society today.
In choosing which panels to attend I wanted to take advantage of the discussions that directly related to my area, such as “Inheriting a List,” “Managing the Author” or “The Young and the Restless,” but also felt like this was a great opportunity to get much more familiar with the other aspects of publishing, such as marketing and publicity or design and copyediting, that are also key to what I do as an assistant in acquisitions. The volume of information offered at the 2005 AAUP Annual Meeting was rivaled only by the amount of food, snacks, and coffee provided before, after, and in between sessions. It was much easier to choose between French toast and a bagel at breakfast than it was to decide between concurrent sessions like “The Young and the Restless?” and “Publishing for the Americas.” I decided on the latter and found it incredibly informative, inspiring, and ultimately one of my favorite panels. Sayri Karp, the Director of the University of Guadalajara Press, presented a panorama of Mexican university presses that provoked a productive discussion among the small number of attendees. For me the conversations that arose about the possibilities of collaboration between university presses in the Americas, in addition to how we might reach the wider, growing market for Spanish texts in the United States touched on the broader themes and messages that I took from the conference in general.
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Sharon Torian
Duke University Press
I attended the AAUP annual meeting for the first time this year and found it very stimulating. The flurry of activity and mix of attendees made for fascinating conversations and bred an environment of learning about an assortment of areas in scholarly publishing. I found it interesting to see that all presses operations vary widely, and someone with your job title at another press could do much different work than you. I interacted with people from all over the US and Canada, from presses both large and small and learned that how heavy the workload is for many employee, because small staffs. Often there is only one assistant for two or three editors. I could fully relate to the overwhelming feel of being in that position as I was in that position early in my publishing career. However, these discussions also made me realize just how much my press has grown and helped me appreciate our good fortune.
The panels were very informative. All aspects of publishing were represented. I found it difficult to decide which panels to attend, since several that I wanted to go to were being held at the same time. I attended some panels that pertained to acquisitions, but because of the various subjects being discussed, I also went to ones on digital art, public speaking and professional growth as well. It was attention-grabbing to hear what panelists considered the "new trends" in publishing, as well as views and ideas on how to cost-effectively save and publish the endangered species--the monograph. The plenary session panelists held a variety of positions ranging from Directors to public relations specialists to novelists. I learned something from each panel that sparked discussion outside of the sessions.
Meeting and networking with people from all levels and geographical areas was also a great experience. The reception for newcomers was very welcoming. Personally, I found it enjoyable to listen to other professionals in the field as they discussed their current positions and the roads that led them to scholarly publishing. Attending this meeting enabled me to meet and mingle with others who were both new to the field as well as to the AAUP conference.
Overall, the conference, from its plenary sessions, lunches and banquets, was an enjoyable and informative experience. I received a plethora of information and found myself excited to be in the midst of the various activities.
Thank you for the opportunity to attend.
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