CONTINUATIONS
Continuations — staying ahead of the publishers
Ian Whale has been with Lindsay & Howes for 11 years and with it's predecessor Stevens & Brown for 16 years before that, so it's fair to say he knows a thing or two about academic books and library customers. His specialisation is continuations, or standing orders as they are also known, where libraries place an open order for future editions.
“I have about 3500 continuation series on file here and just about all our publishers produce continuations of some sort or another,” he commented.
“At the large-scale end, we have publishers like the Royal Society of Chemistry Special Publications, which now runs to over 200 volumes, the Journal for Study of the New Testament at over 300 volumes and the British & International Archaeological Society which runs to over 1000. They've all been going for years. Obviously many are much smaller and newer than these.
“Plus of course there are the annuals, many of which are world famous — Debretts, Who's Who (now in its 156 th year), Whittakers Almanac (136 years), the British Performing Arts Yearbook and even the Guinness Book of Records.
“Once customers make an order for a continuation series, they rightly expect to see the new additions to the series without prompting. In my experience, as publishers' systems and technology have got ever more complex, the risk of orders being forgotten or lost by publishers seems to have got greater.
“I see it as my role to try and stay one step ahead by keeping track of new volumes and checking the order ahead of time, to make sure we get it to the customer without delay. In the course of each week, we probably send out about 100 continuation orders, so there is a fair amount of plate spinning and chasing needed to make sure they all get out on time!
“One problem it is hard to counter is when an editor dies; the series of publications falls apart as there is often no-one else with their passion for the subject.
“I find my job varied and challenging, and we are always trying to come up with new systems to simplify the process. I am always happy to hear from customers with queries about continuations, so please do feel free to email me on iwhale@ybp.com.“
Ian's anecdotes:
Favourite email from a publisher: when chasing the whereabouts of a missing volume for a customer: “We do have copies, but I'm afraid we are having a little trouble contacting our publications officer (who has all the copies and lives with them in Dorset ). She lives alone and has no answerphone, fax or email so, when she doesn't answer the telephone that is, unfortunately, the end of the story. I am trying to ascertain whether she is in hospital, on holiday or what.
The book itself, I hasten to add, is prepared a lot more professionally than this missive might suggest.”
Favourite publisher: Bob Partridge from Peartree Publishers.
Favourite book title: From the Flashback Series — Onion Johnnies: French Onion Sellers in Scotland.
In this section:
- Approval plans
- Slip plans
- Firm orders
- Continuations
- Out of print
- Returns policy
- GOBI™
- Technical services
- Book processing services
