What Does Publishing Mean?

Introduction

Defining publishing is hard. In an era when anyone can write and publish, and potentially have their work discovered and read by anyone in the world, what does “publishing” mean? Is it simply the act of sharing? Or does a publisher need to have an imprint and brand, and offer professional services like editing and proofreading? The more we dig into these questions, the more we find ourselves in a bit of a philosophical quandary. We don’t have easy answers.

Our goal with the Pub101 curriculum is to be inclusive of the many types of publishing support. You don’t need to do all the things and meet a particular definition or “level” of publishing to be a part of our community. We do, though, encourage you to consider what publishing means to you and your organization. Then, whatever you come up with, be sure to communicate your vision to your authors and collaborators. Chances are they’re working with another definition. (See the previous page for our definitions.)

Projects and Programs

There are publishing projects and publishing programs. Determining whether your library publishing activities will represent a project versus a program is a fundamental consideration. The answer to this question determines your institutional commitments and requirements. Whether you want to start with a project, or a scope for an entire program, is up to you.

If possible, before you start a textbook project:

    • Know which authoring and publishing platforms you’ll be using
    • Make a production plan and timeline
    • Allow time for importing and formatting in the publishing platform

Again, when we say publishing, we mean it in an inclusive way: whether you're working on one project or an entire program. The content in these modules can offer helpful support for either scenario. 

Often publishing programs begin with ad-hoc projects. This is one way to venture into publishing. It allows for first-hand experience and learning, can help define services, and can be a soft launch. However, it also means that you, your faculty authors, and team members may not know exactly what to expect. Effort spent defining objectives, scope, resources, and services at the outset of your project is worthwhile.

That said, costs, benefits, and risks may be more easily defined for individual projects, given their shorter duration. Here's a table that compares common dimensions of projects and programs:

Comparing Publishing Projects and Programs

Project

Program

Objectives

Outcomes are relatively easy to describe, define, and measure.

Outcomes may include developing new, effective methodologies and be difficult to quantify. Benefits of a program often result in changes, such as introducing new capabilities, rather than on financial gains.

Scope

Static and defined; will likely not change throughout the project's lifespan.

Dynamic and more loosely defined; may change during the lifespan of the program.

Duration

Relatively short term, can be calculated in months.

Relatively long term, can be calculated in years.

Risk profile

The risk may be more easily identified through analysis. The impact of the project failing is limited when compared to the risk of a program failing.

Risk is greater and more complex to analyze. Program failure could result in financial, reputational, or operational loss.

Stakeholders

Few.

Many, which may produce disagreements and other issues compared to projects.

Operational environment

Static and understood.

Dynamic and decisions must take the program environment into account.

Resources

These can be estimated far in advance.

This can be estimated, but care must be taken, as the need for additional resources will arise.

Project and Program are useful for establishing the framework for considering library publishing costs, income, profit (and loss), and scale and scope.

Publishing Project vs. Program Example

Project. Let's say a faculty member comes to you because she'd like to write and publish her own open textbook in geography. It has a focused audience, an anticipated project duration, and limited risk to the library publisher in terms of financial losses and reputation. You could clearly define cost and resource expectations and commitments for this textbook project.

Program. Alternatively, you could announce a Call for Proposals, because there is funding to launch a program that will support the development and publication of a series of open textbooks. For each of these projects there may be differing timelines to track, less predictable resource demands, stakeholders with potentially divergent perspectives and expectations, and outcomes that may include fiscal sustainability and advancing public scholarship or goodwill (e.g., the social and community impact of the work done, the reputation enhancement for the library press or the institution).

Adapted from Library Publishing Curriculum Sustainability Unit Links to an external site. from the Library Publishing Coalition Links to an external site. (CC BY 4.0 Links to an external site.) .

Publishing Capacity Worksheet

It's useful to consider a series of reflective questions as you begin to define your publishing support. You can use this capacity worksheet Links to an external site. to get started. There are additional guiding questions to consider, below.

Guiding Questions

  1. Do you have experience working on a publishing project? If so, how did it go?
  2. Do you have a team you can work with on different elements of a publishing program? For example, someone who has copyediting experience, or knowledge of publishing platforms?
  3. Are faculty authors looking for support? Can you imagine working with them in an experimental context? In other words, could they be a good person to collaborate with on a pilot?
  4. What is the current climate at your library? Is there interest in providing more services to faculty? What would you need to make a publishing project or program a success?