Advice for Editors

Increasing Submissions, Visibility, and Impact for Your Book

Receiving the requisite number of chapters per the Publisher's format guidelines is a pivotal aspect of any book project. To achieve this, it is imperative that researchers within the academic community submit prospective chapters to your publication. By actively disseminating project-related content and sharing information, you can enhance the visibility and discoverability of your book, subsequently attracting a greater number of manuscript submissions and potentially completing your book project early.

While the Publisher can certainly distribute your book's call for chapters to our extensive mailing list, it is crucial for you, as the editor, to take proactive steps. While dedicated team members in the Publisher's development and marketing divisions are ready to assist, certain responsibilities are clearly outlined in the signed contract and fall within the editor's domain. Given your esteemed expertise and standing in the academic community, a personal invitation from you holds significantly more influence compared to a broad call initiated by your development editor. Recruitment efforts for manuscript submissions tend to be far more positively received within the research community when initiated by the leadership of the book project itself.

Here is the excerpt from your signed contract which outlines your role in promoting the discoverability of your book:

1. Editor must develop a formal "call for chapters" within the eEditorial Discovery^® system utilizing the Publisher's call for chapters template. Editor agrees to publicize the approved call to potential Contributors. Editor is also responsible for posting the call to various LISTSERVs.
2. Editor must understand that in order for the book to be a strong influence in its area, the process of manuscript recruitment should be strictly followed according to the book's call for submission deadlines.

Increasing the submission number for your book project will allow you to be more selective in garnering high quality content and will also expand the network of contributors who can support with the promotion and usage of your book. Ideally, this also leads to greater visibility for your book, thus increasing citation impact and indexing potential.

This guide will provide an in-depth description of how to increase chapter submissions and visibility for your book through various methods.

Call for Chapters

The Call for Chapters may be, simply put, the most important communication used in your promotional efforts to recruit more submissions. This document includes all the pertinent information to an author, including the mission/description of the book, a point of contact, submission link, topics covered, etc.

Here are a few places where you can distribute your Call for Chapters:

Listservs

Posting on Listservs is an efficient way to circulate relevant information about your book quickly and easily, including the call for chapters, to individuals with a devout interest in your book’s field of study. Please consult the table below for listservs, categorized by subject, to which you can subscribe.

Please keep in mind that many Listservs will not allow publishers to post content on Listservs. Thus, it is imperative that you identify Listservs relevant to your book's topic and post the call for chapters yourself.

Social Media

Social Media has become an often used method of communicating research in recent times. Specifically, researchers have used LinkedIn, X, Reddit, Facebook, and Google+ to share newly published research as well as inform each other of forthcoming publications that are seeking submissions. By increasing your social media following, and forming groups of researchers in academia, you can post relevant information about your book, such as the call for chapters or personalized invitations/appeals on your social media accounts.

University/Personal Website

Posting the call on your university and/or personal webpage is a further way in which you can ensure the call for chapters reaches your colleagues or anyone perusing the webpage.

Conferences

Conferences are a great way in which you can connect personally with colleagues and inform them of your upcoming book. Taking copies of the Call for Chapters can also help you to distribute invitations to the attendees.

Associations and Societies

If you are currently a member of a society or association, you are encouraged to post the Call for Chapters in the forum or distribute to the membership list, if you are allowed.

Consider Revamping the Call for Chapters

Many books undergo two, sometimes even three rounds of submission recruitment. Editors are encouraged to make slight changes to the Call for Chapters in between rounds if it does not seem to be yielding the necessary results or is capturing submissions that are out of the editor's intended scope. Feel free to work with your Development Editor and/or co-Editor to investigate additional relevant topics that the book can cover and ways in which to attract more submissions and interest.

Collaboration with the Publisher’s Authors/Editors

Group thinking and brainstorming can be an effective method to increase submissions to your book, especially if others have great success in promoting his/her journal, book, etc. You could also talk to your Development Editor and inquire about transferring non-published chapters to your book for potential review. Furthermore, including an Invited Paper is an easy way to add some extra substance to the project.

Associations, Societies, & Research Groups

Associations, societies, and/or research groups are excellent groups to utilize to find other experts who are currently researching in your book's topic. Posting on online forums, reaching out to membership lists, etc. are ways in which you can boost quality submissions to the book. Also, with Platinum open access publishing models available for books, associations or societies may decide to provide the funding for the book to make it open access, opening the potential range of your contributors as it would be in compliance with many new government and institutional publishing mandates.

When posting or sending a communication to individuals from an association, it’s important to include the following information:

• Your role/longevity within the association/research group.
• Key information about the book (indices, accolades, mission, topics covered, etc.).
• Direct link to submit his/her manuscript in the eEditorial Discovery^® submission system.
• Call for Chapters

Personal Invitations

Sending out personal invitations to submit to a book is critical to the success of any book project. As mentioned before, according to surveys conducted of researchers, they much prefer to receive invitations for publishing directly from the editor of the publication. Personalized invitations can establish a connection with the researcher and provide a level of personalization that is much appreciated amongst the numerous spam prospective authors receive daily. Personal invitations are one of the best ways to garner chapter submissions and have the highest likelihood that the recipient will submit to your book. These personal communications from you, as the editor, carry far greater weight and impact than any communication your Development Editor could send.

Here are some groups you can send personal invitations to:

Past Contributors

If you have published a book or if you are part of the leadership team of a journal, reaching out to individuals who have published in your publication in the past is an effective tactic for garnering new chapter submissions. These individuals understand and are familiar with your editor capabilities and style and are thus more likely to follow through with a chapter submission. The message that goes to a past contributor is slightly different than someone who has never submitted before. Here is the key information to include in this specific communication:

• Statement of gratitude for publishing with you before. Also, recognize the contribution (include the chapter/article title if you can).
• Seeking another manuscript, based on their pedigree and reputation within the field.
• Call for Chapters

Add a Co-Editor and/or Managing Editor

Adding a Co-Editor and/or Managing Editor to the leadership team for your book can expand your networking options, especially if the Co-Editor has a different affiliation and is located in a different region from yours. This can significantly improve the diversity of contributions within the book. Moreover, depending on the individual’s reputation in the field, they could add significant notoriety to the book. Editors new to book publishing are encourage to add a mentor who can support with editorial guidance, especially in regards to decision making, and can support with a network of colleagues with significant expertise in the field.

Additionally, they can help with work in the submission system, allowing for more promotional efforts, as time will be freed up for sending out communications, posting on Listservs and social media, etc.

Timeliness with Incoming Submissions

Acting on submissions in a prompt manner and efficiently placing chapters into and through the peer review process is important for the retention of chapters. Letting chapters sit too long and/or not swiftly processing chapters into/through the peer review process can delay the book and cause authors to withdraw their chapters. Furthermore, those authors could encourage others in his/her network to submit their chapters elsewhere.

Communicate with Your Development Editor

This step is imperative, as your Development Editor can help with numerous items, including sending a call for chapters to our mailing list, taking administrative action for you in the submission system, providing contact sheets for members of your book and past contributors, etc. At the very least, attempt to maintain a weekly dialogue with your Development Editor. This is important to ensure that your Development Editor is up to date on all facets of the book at any juncture and can support with intervention strategies should the book become delayed.

While this guide is by no means a full account of every promotional activity, it is an extensive list with a variety of methods to garner more submissions to your book. As always, please reach out to your Development Editor with any promotional inquiries you may have.