Reflecting on publishing and research culture – with Professor Sarah Fox

At the University of London Press, we have been reflecting on recent conversations in the sector about research culture, what this means for the humanities, the potential benefits of open access, the role of publishing and our own role as a publisher. 

In this new series of blog posts, recent UoL Press authors share their own publishing experiences and words of advice and support for new authors, along with their views on open access and what more publishers can do to work with the research community to help build supportive, collaborative and open research and publishing cultures. 

In this post in the series, we talk to Professor Sarah Fox, author of Giving Birth in Eighteenth-Century England. Sarah Fox has recently been appointed Senior Lecturer in History at Edge Hill University, UK.  She is primarily a social and cultural historian with interests in the digital approaches to history, social histories of law and medicine, the body, emotion, gender, food, and community.  

1. What should people know about your book with UoL Press?

My book explores women’s experiences of giving birth in eighteenth-century England using sources like letters, diaries, recipe books, folklore collections, and court records. Previous histories of birthing had studied the topic using the books and treatises written by medical men. These histories give a fascinating account of changing understandings of the body in this period, and the development of medical knowledge, but they don’t offer a window into what birthing felt like. It was this idea of experience, of feeling, that I wanted to understand. My sources enabled me to take a step back from the delivery of the infant, and to think about the rituals, and the practices that shaped the experience of birth. As a result, the book has chapters on the household, the family, the community, and on food, as well as on birth and the body. UoL Press were really great at promoting my book. They submitted it to several award committees, and I was hugely grateful to be short-listed for the Royal Historical Society’s Whitfield Prize for a first book published on British or Irish history. 

2. What was your experience of publishing with a predominantly open access press like? 

I found that readership was an important element of publishing with an open access press that I hadn’t considered when I submitted my manuscript to UoL Press. The sheer accessibility of having your book available online dramatically expands your readership. As an academic, I was used to the idea that my book might only be read by other academics, but open access publication makes it so easy for students and other interested parties beyond academia to read your research. In the months after the book was published, I was regularly contacted by broadcasters and even movie producers who had found me by reading the book online. Open access publishing also means that you can see how popular your book is. I am able to see how many times my book has been downloaded which is hugely gratifying. 

It was important to me that UoL Press weren’t solely an open access publisher. It was lovely to hold a copy of my book in my hands. The books themselves are lovely quality and the price point makes them accessible to most.  

3. What advice do you have for authors looking to publish their first book? 

First, think about what you need in order to get your book done. I realised quite early in the process that I needed a solid deadline reinforced by a contract, and I needed to have support to keep me on track during the writing process. Be aware, though, that you are unlikely to earn royalties by publishing your book open access. I wasn’t expecting to get rich from my book on eighteenth-century birth, and so I felt that this was a fair exchange for the increased readership and the support during the writing process. 

Second, think about the purpose of your book. If you simply want to share your research with a broader audience, you might have different requirements from your publisher than if you are looking for an academic job. If you are looking to remain an academic, you need to think about the REF requirements. In a competitive job market, authors need to be very strategic about the purpose of their book; what role does the book play in your longer-term research plans, what part does it play in your career?

 
4. Do you think open access has a role to play in creating a positive research culture and, if so, how? 

An important way in which open access helps to create a positive research culture is through accessibility.  Employment opportunities for post-doctoral researchers are increasingly competitive (for more information see Brodie Waddell’s excellent analysis). Researchers are increasingly likely to experience periods of time without institutional affiliation and therefore without access to research published in traditional formats, behind paywalls. For those that are seeking employment in an academic setting, access to the latest research is vital in an environment where a ‘publish or perish’ maxim still dominates, and who are trying to produce world-leading research without the support of an institution. Independent or freelance historical research is becoming increasingly common and ways of communicating research to publics beyond the boundaries of academic institutions are proliferating. Again, these histories are enhanced through unrestricted access to the latest research. Some scholarly societies are starting to address this by offering access to online repositories to unaffiliated members, but membership, whilst exceedingly good value, still costs money usually on an annual basis. Against this backdrop, open access publishing opens up historical research to those that operate outside the traditional boundaries of academic history. 

5. Why did you choose the University of London Press as your publisher? 

There were a number of considerations at play in my decision to submit a proposal to the UoL Press. Open access was not actually a key consideration for me at the time, but the stated intention of the New Historical Perspectives series to provide extensive support for first-time authors was a real draw to me. I had tried (and failed) to prepare a full manuscript for submission to other academic presses. I knew I needed more direction to help me develop my PhD thesis into a full-length academic monograph. Crucially, UoL Press were prepared to issue a contract without sight of the full book manuscript. This gave me a solid deadline to work to – essential motivation to write the book it transpires. The support I received from the press and from the editorial team at every stage of the process was incredible. 

Finally, I really liked the price point of UoL’s books. This was probably the deciding factor between UoL Press and the other press that I was considering submitting a proposal to. My book cost under £30 in paperback on release, whereas new publications with the other presses I considered cost significantly more in print.