Re: Chronicle article - Selling Out: a Textbook Example

[KarnH]

Dear Tipsters:

As the author of an introduction to psychology text published by one of the so-called "little" publishers (Wiley), I would like to respond to the article and to the question about the use of reviews. Obviously, the offer of $4000 and coercion to adopt a book is "over the top," and I've never heard of it happening within our company (Wiley) or any other legitimate publisher. I also believe that almost all publishers and authors would consider this unethical. 

In reference to the question about reviews, to my knowledge I always receive ALL the reviews that are commissioned on my book, and they help enormously in my revisions. For those of you wondering about the review process, in our company, professors also are given the option of having their name and college affiliation removed before the authors see their reviews. I generally receive a mixture of both "blind" and open reviews.

When the reviewer includes his or her name, I try to send a follow-up personal letter of appreciation with a list of specific examples and explanations of how their suggestions led to the improvement in my text. Like other authors, I also include a detailed description of changes to each edition (as a result of these reviews), and a "Thank You" to a long list of reviewers in the Preface of each edition of the text.

Please be assured that these reviews are extremely important to the academic quality of college texts. As an author, I can't imagine doing a revision without them. I also know that the standard fare ($100-$400) is "peanuts" for the amount of work and the number of hours a review normally requires. Most reviewers send very thoughtful and time consuming suggestions, and their compensation is well below their standard hourly rate for teaching. I hope this latest article from the Chronicle does not discourage anyone from participating in the process. Reviews from professors are core to quality and integrity of college texts. 

As some of you may note, this is the first time I have ever responded "globally" to these emails. This time, however, I felt that it was important for me to add my input because I'm deeply concerned that some of you might question the review process and stop participating. Please don't! Paying a nominal sum of money to reviewers of texts is a long-standing and integral part of the publishing world. Like the review panels for academic journals, your reviews of texts allow authors to benefit from your expertise and insights. Thank you for listening and allowing me to share my opinions, Karen Huffman ---
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