Would like your suggestions on edited volume reviewers...

[profjackster]

Good Morning,

Happy summer to you all, or happy winter if you're in the southern hemisphere. I normally do not post much on this site, but do enjoy the wisdoms and insights regularly being dispensed to everyone.

At this time, my edited volume that took four years to bring to fruition (about how society was "reconfigured" during the pandemic before vaccines) has been published through a univeristy press. Nineteen authors and coauthors contributed to the drafting of thirteen chapters (I also contributed a chapter).

The pandemic, especially the lockdown period before vaccines were available (a period upon which we focused our research), revealed much of the "insides" of how society's citizens and its many moving parts coped. Our contributors, domiciled across the EU, Asia, and South Pcific, as well as the US, offered many good analyses on how different peoples fared. We are sociologists, social psychologists, a medical doctor, journalists, a legal scholar, criminologists, and geographers.

My questions are: do I contact news outlets (e.g., NYT), media news (so as to be interviewed), or stick with peer reviewed journals? Pertaining to the first two options, is it customary for them to read edited volumes by university presses? I would like to move away from journals since the information contained in the volume is beneficial for the general readership in terms of understanding the historical period they/we went through.

Only this last Friday did I contact CBS, NBC, and a local news channel in my city as one of the journalists has a nice morning show on Sundays. I have not heard back from them at this time.

I am saving my efforts for journals last since this is a more predictable route. Moreover, a fellow contributor has already proactively asked his colleagues to consider reviewing the work for journals.

A quick note: am already a full prof in the social sciences and have been in acdemia for 19 years, so my approach can be relaxed one, and not one bent trying to maximize the prospects of getting tenure.

Thank you for any tips or wisdoms coming this way. If I am late in my responses, it's because I'll be watching the UEFA and Copa America games today, but will definitely respond soon.

Sincerely,

Profjackster

[Sun_Worshiper]

Congrats on your new book!

I doubt that the NYT or other non-academic outlets will find your UP book on their own, so you should consider doing outreach. Does your university have a mechanism for putting out press releases? That is a good way to get your ideas out there. Alternatively, you proactively reach out to media people directly, although this has not really worked for me. What has been helpful on my end is to publish short op eds, drawing on a new publication, in outlets like the Conversation. These can get picked up elsewhere and spark some additional interest.

I'll be curious what others have to say. Good luck!

[profjackster]

Thank you Sun Worshipper! The op-ed route is an interesting trajectory and will definitely look into that. The Conversation sounds like a great venue...will keep accumulating these outlets and do my outreach.

[jerseyjay]

Your book sounds interesting. I just finished teaching a course on how history shapes public discourse and how public discourse draws upon and shapes views of history; the last unit was on the Covid 19 period.

To answer your question, I think it depends on what you want to get out of the book.

You indicate that you think it would have some public utility beyond just scholars. In that case, I would absolutely try to circulate information on the book.

I would, as mentioned, try to get your school's communications office to issue a press release and to list you as an expert on the subject in case local press contact the school.

I would also see if your press could write a press release about the book and distribute it to appropriate venues.

Then I would come up with a list of both academic journals and non-academic venues (newspapers, news shows, etc). I would write up a one-paragraph email summarizing the book, attach the publisher's press release, include information on how to get a review copy, and include your contact information. Then I would widely email this. It may get circular filed, but it may find an interested reviewer, reporter, etc.

I would also do something similar on social media (especially Twitter/X and Instagram).

Finally, I would encourage the 19 contributors to do similar efforts, to draw on their networks.

[profjackster]

Thank you Jersey Jay. At this time, I am definitely trying to cover all the bases mentioned and appreciate your insights. Love being a scholar...but not too into the marketing of things. Sending you my best.

[Hibush]

I will second the press release as the primary tool for getting editors attention. "Don't bury the lede!" That is, the press release should have the most important conclusion in the first sentence.

I did press releases through my university on a project and got front-page coverage in the NY Times, many local papers and some local radio and TV. That gave me credibility when meeting with lawmakers who were making policy that my work informed. Your research has more societal impact, and is easier for readers to relate to than mine. So there is good potential!

[profjackster]

Thanks Hibush,

At this time, am getting all of the time-managment sorted out so that the press release, pitched by others as well, can take place right when fall starts. Sending you my best and I appreciate the insights!