1. Dr. Maureen Tam 28 February 2012
HOW THIS BOOK CAME TO BE
Dr. Maureen Tam
28 February 2012

2. Thanks

3. Sharing of experience
Writing and publishing a book is a daunting task and an incredible experience
So many memories – happy, unhappy and painful

4. Origin of the book
5 papers from Inaugural 2009 Public Seminars in Elderly Learning
Planned and organised by Prof. Richard Bagnall
The other 5 chapters are additional invited chapters
Added to the range of issues and perspectives focused on ageing and learning
Richard wrote the Foreword for the book

5. Finding the publisher
Prominent publisher – International Publishers Springer
Included as Vol. 14 in book series “Education in the Asia-Pacific Region: Issues, Concerns and Prospects”
Prof. Rupert Maclean is Series Editor

6. Steps taken to publish the book
Submitting a book proposal
Issuance of a publishing contract
Manuscript for external review
Revision of manuscript for second (or more) review
Submitting the final manuscript
Development of a production timetable
Copyediting and printing

7. 1. Submitting a book proposal
Highlight the theme, originality or uniqueness of the book
Appeal to the academic community to which the book is targeted
Include an annotated table of contents, an introduction and a few sample chapters
Initial review by Series Editor and Springer’s development editor.

8. 2. Issuance of a publishing contract
The publishing contract was issued upon acceptance of the proposal
Listing the terms and conditions, including copyright issues and the timeframe for writing, developing and publishing the book.

9. 3. Manuscript for external review
Given 6-9 months to finish the manuscript
Internal review by editors before submission for external review
Then sent manuscript to Springer for external review

10. 4. Revision of manuscript for second (or more) review
External review took 3-4 months
Need to address reviewers’comments and suggestions for changes
Most difficult, yet crucial part in the process
Thought of giving up and quitting
Greatest pain is to get other authors to revise
Human nature to be defensive and uncooperative
Revision took another 3 months before submission for the second/final review

11. 5. Submitting the final manuscript
Reviewers responded positively to the changes and revisions
Next stage is editing and formatting to suit Springer’s house style and requirements
Using Springer’s standard template
Tedious and onerous task
Cleaned up the manuscript for final submission

12. 6. Development of a production timetable
Springer assigned a copyeditor to take charge of final production and printing
Agreed on a production timetable
Continuous revision to the manuscript to answer queries raised by the copyeditor

13. 7. Copyediting and printing
Last stage of production
Copyedited and proofread by copyeditor
Checked and approved by authors
Published the book in print form and on the web for wider dissemination

14. Concluding remarks
The whole process took almost two years from early to October 2011
Book came out in November 2011
Has been a grueling and long journey, but a rewarding one at the end

15. Thanks again