Coping with the Challenges of Compiling an Edited Text Alan Fyall Head of Research, School of Services Management

Common Issues (I)  Harder than writing a book on your own  Often sell less with markets harder to target - is there a need?  Think market - competition - complementary texts - teaching/research focus - commercial interest  Think ‘coherent’ book rather than a ‘collection’ of chapters  Careful choice of publisher  Verification of exact requirements of publisher

Common Issues (II)  Determine ‘house style’ at the outset - contributors’ brief  Set a strict word limit  State your understanding of editor’s role  Allow time for re-drafting and late arrivals  Avoid ‘elastic band’ editing  Select contributors with care  Bigger the name - bigger the problems  Ideally get contributors to meet at the beginning - possibly at a conference  Late arrivals are often the best  Avoid editorial overkill - edited text is all about a mix of views

Common Issues (III)  Be prepared to write a chapter at the very last minute  Required to take tough and unpopular decisions  Work to deadline - maintain currency of text  Maintain constant dialogue with contributors  Keep them abreast of developments  Be pedantic over cover image, reviewers and marketing strategies - don’t rely on publisher!

The Contributors’ Brief  Market  Chapter structure  Case study structure  Editors  Deadlines and contact details  Circulate all abstracts to all contributors  Introduction to ‘Parts’ include summary of key themes and issues to be addressed themes and issues will contribute to writing of conclusion

Final Thoughts  Publisher’s ‘Instructions for Authors’  Time required  Agreement between authors as to who does what … including author order!!  Agree reference style at the outset  Indexing  Maintain contact details and all correspondence!!