Tuesday, July 12, 2005

According to Academic Splat!, getting the book published is only half the battle...

According to Professor Camicao, even getting that book published and getting tenure doesn't help you if you really care about the idea of people reading your work.
Whatever its faults, I did archival research that uncovered some important facts, and provided a synthesis and overview of a large, important subject that --surprisingly-- had not been examined before through an interdisciplinary lens. And thanks to my editor at Respectable U Press, I wrote it clearly (with minimal jargon) so that non-academics and academics in disciplines outside of literature could read it without being annoyed.

But Respectable U Press only did a library edition that costs and arm and a leg. While my pals got their feet in at Bigshot Press and had astonishingly beautiful and affordable paperbacks produced, my gentle creation, dressed in quiet blue, marched anonymously into libraries across the nation. He did not get a viewing at the MLA book-fair, and missed several of the other interdisciplinary book fairs where he might have been seen. When he was displayed, he cost too much for anyone to take home with him. He got no posters. He got no cover jacket. He was dressed in gentle blue and he went gently into the good libraries of this nation.
And that wasn't all: then he got a lousy review by someone who evidently didn't read the book very carefully. *sigh* A depressing tale it is...

4 comments:

Chris Conway said...

Hi Jonathan-- Just found your blog and find it interesting. Will be back to visit. I'm glad my piece on publishing caught your eye. I just found out that a chapter of my book was indeed taught at an Ivy League graduate seminar, which is nice to hear. Meanwhile, I move forward, and I try to stay focussed on enjoying my scholarship. That's the pure part, the part no one can touch and take away from you. Best- Cam

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is a really interesting blog.

Michael Turton said...

Jon, Jon....where are you? Lost in the fish market and never found again! Let me know and I will ride to....never mind. I'll just send you some stinky tofu and beer.

Michael

Jonathan Benda said...

Hi, Michael--I'm still around. Thanks for asking! I'm just trying to recover from our recent two-week trip to the States (about a week of which was spent without a good portion of our luggage, thanks to the wonderful folks at United Airlines).

Am also trying to get some course-planning and dissertating done.