In the latest piece in our University Press week blog tour, Victoria Pittman emphasises the importance of timing to a social justice publisher, the impact quick turnarounds can have, and how we make this happen at Bristol University Press.
It is not uncommon for publishers to want to get books out quickly for a variety of reasons, but as a social justice press, our time pressures are very often related to wanting our books to exert the maximum influence at a time when they can make the most difference.
With our roots in social policy, we are familiar with the urgency to publish in advance of elections, reform bills or key legislative changes or reviews. We also publish books – aimed at a wider general audience – whose content often springs from topical events or pressing questions facing society. This means that speed to publication is an important strand of our author service alongside our need for flexibility and quality.
Our digital-only Rapid Responses format stemmed from our desire to have the option of not just a short schedule, but a really rapid one! After fast-tracking the publication of Repealing the 8th: Reforming Irish Abortion Law in time for the referendum in 2018, we were given a further push by the COVID-19 pandemic to develop a very fast turnaround option suitable for particularly topical projects. Initially focusing on the many challenges facing society in relation to COVID-19, the series has continued to be an important option for other timely publications.
A great example of this is the open access Beyond Bars, edited by Kristen Budd, David Lane, Glenn W. Muschert and Jason Smith. This year marks 50 years of mass incarceration in the United States and this research highlights the pressing social problems associated with the country’s heavy reliance on mass imprisonment. Written in the wake of global protests for racial justice and criminal legal reform, the book examines the devastating impact of mass incarceration which has only exacerbated racial inequality. We worked with The Sentencing Project who supported the book being made open access, and have seen fantastic download numbers on our Bristol University Press Digital platform. The book offers practical solutions for advocates, policy and law makers, and the wider public for addressing mass incarceration and its effects to create a more just and safer society. You can hear contributor Maria Valdovinos Olson discussing her chapter ‘Reentry and Public Policy Solutions: Addressing Barriers to Housing and Employment’ in the New Books Network podcast.
Isobel Bainton, our Senior Commissioning Editor for Social Work, Children, Young People and Families publishing, has recently signed up another timely Rapid Response, emphasising our commitment to speaking up on important issues. With childcare provision set to feature highly on the political agenda in the run up to the general election, Isobel was aware of the importance of interrogating some of the grand (potentially empty!) promises being made within this policy area and influence the conversation with research and commentary from someone who actually knows what they are talking about. Helen Penn draws on over 50 years’ experience in practice and research to provide an authoritative and current contribution to debates about childcare provision. Who Needs Nurseries? explores the assumptions made about bringing up children, and the role nurseries play in supplementing family care, including:
- Who provides nurseries?
- Who benefits from them?
- How are they funded?
- Who works in them?
- Who checks up on whether they are doing a good job?
- How do children behave while they are in nurseries?
- What is the impact on children’s development in the long term?
Publishing this as a Rapid Response title will allow us to quickly reach all those with a vested interest in supporting children and families to thrive, and provide clarity to arguments surrounding the future of nursery provision. We hope it will ensure that key players are more knowledgeable about this issue in the run up to the general election.
We also work with authors on policy briefings, blog pieces, podcasts, webinars and other opportunities to showcase their work in ways which can respond with flexibility to what is going on in the world, as our article yesterday showed. While a standard monograph can take over a year to publish, potentially bringing together years of research and expertise from across the world, by highlighting the main messages in another form we know we can connect with people who are looking for immediately up-to-date information, and contribute to addressing the most pressing global social challenges. This range of outputs and the options for shorter and quicker formats aligns with our mission to speak up on important issues.
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog site are solely those of the original blog post authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Bristol University Press and/or any/all contributors to this site.
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