What steps are involved in the publication process?

If you would like to offer your book or journal for publication through ibidem, the process starts with the filling in of our proposal guidelines. Once submitted, all book proposals are assessed by one of our editors. Should we think that your proposed book or journal could be a good fit for ibidem, we will commission a round of external peer reviews. Depending on the outcome of the reviews, we may ask for a final version of the book proposal to be prepared, incorporating the reviewers’ suggestions.

The final proposal is then taken to the editorial board’s bi-weekly meetings. If approved we will then send the author/editor a formal publication offer and a contract draft, which, all being well, needs to be signed and sent back to us. Your book will then receive an ISBN and be ready for pre-order immediately.

After submission of the final manuscript, we create a fully layouted proof, a cover design, and a marketing blurb as well as other PR material in close collaboration with the author/editor. The book then goes into production, during which time we start marketing your book to bookshops, libraries, and wholesalers.

As soon as the first copies are printed, you receive your free author copies and instructions on how to register with the VG Wort, Germany’s collecting society and claim your one-time disbursements, provided all requirements are met. More detailed information can be found here.

This is also the time when we get in touch with potential reviewers and relevant media outlets to inform them about your book and request coverage.

To assure a straightforward pre-production process, we expect you to follow our style guidelines and prepare your manuscript accordingly. Please contact our author support for any question you may have in this respect.

It is important to us that you can fully identify with your publication. This is why we create our book covers in accordance with our authors’ wishes and ideas. We welcome suggestions with regards to color scheme, font and style and can include photographs and illustrations of your choice in the final design.

The linguistic and stylistic correctness of your text is crucial for the reception of your book in the academic community. Errors in spelling or grammar irritate the reader and distract from the actual content of your study. Appropriate and stylistically confident phrasing and a structured composition, on the other hand, underline your point. Particularly papers that have been produced under the pressure of a deadline often need to be corrected again before going to print in order to eliminate the last remaining mistakes. This final correction can be done by you. Our author support team will provide hints and tips for revising your manuscript and will be available to answer any questions you may have.

What distribution channels does ibidem provide?

• We will market and distribute your book in the D-A-CH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) which means that the book will be distributed through Europe’s biggest wholesalers such as KNV, Libri, and Umbreit.
• In the USA, Canada, South America, Australia, and New Zealand, our partner Columbia University Press will market and distribute your book. They contact and have access to, amongst other sales channels, bookshops, university libraries, institutes, and campuses all over these crucial markets.
• In the United Kingdom and Eastern Europe, UK-based Gazelle Book Services represents our program actively, e.g. by sending out theme-based catalogs to target interest groups and attending conferences. They also distribute to these markets.
• By publishing your title as print book as well as e-book, different target groups can be reached. For institutional customers (libraries, institutes, companies, etc.), we are offering direct online access to electronic content (e-access) for their users and / or employees through our website. Our books are also available to both libraries and individuals on a large number of e-book platforms such as EBSCO or PROQUEST.
• Our printed books and e-books are listed and available for sale through various online booksellers, such as amazon.com, amazon.de, amazon.co.uk, amazon.jp, barnesandnoble.com, abebooks.com, weltbild.de, and of course our own online book store.
• For China, we partner with Inspirees (based in Beijing, China, and The Netherlands) for marketing and distribution. They approach academic libraries in regular road shows and through the Beijing Book Fair, and import physical book to China.

We source valuable reviews of your books by sending review copies to suitable academic journals, general media, and specialty online outlets, always liaising with our authors for best results. Bookshops and libraries are regularly being informed of our new titles via newsletters, subject catalogs, and leaflets. We create individual promotional flyers for conferences, lectures, and trade fairs. Of course, your book will be listed in all our seasonal catalogs and promoted via our website and social media.