September 23, 2012
English-language Publishing for Japanese scholars Online Guide Project
The North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources (NCC), a clearinghouse for Japanese information resources, is developing an online guide to English-language publishing for Japanese scholars trained in and currently teaching and conducting research in Japan. The guide, which will be available in Japanese on the NCC website, will explain the differences in the publishing climates of Japan and Anglophone countries; outline the expectations of editors and publishers; and detail the publishing process, from researching potential publishers and making contact to final publication, for four key venues—professional journals, edited volumes, monographs, and online journals. Practical resources will include downloadable templates for inquiry letters to publishers as well as advice on how to write an abstract. The first edition will cover humanities and social science disciplines; future editions may be developed for other subject areas. Professors Keiko Ikeda of Doshisha University and Jordan Sand of Georgetown University are the project’s executive editors.
The first stage in the guide’s development will entail surveys of both English-language publishers and journal editors and Japanese scholars in the humanities and social sciences. Currently we are contacting publishers and journal editors to learn about past experiences with and current practices in publishing the work of Japanese scholars. The survey of Japanese scholars will also be conducted during fall 2012. The final guide will be launched on the NCC’s website in summer 2013.
If you know English-language publishers or journal editors or Japanese scholarly groups or associations whom we should contact to participate in our surveys, or if you would like to contribute suggestions toward the development of this guide, please notify Akiko Yamagata, Project Editor, at akikoyamagata[at]nccjapan.net.
Please forward this announcement to any interested individuals or organizations.
Please also visit the NCC website to view other resources.
Victoria Lyon Bestor
Executive Director
North American Coordinating Council on Japanese Library Resources
149 Upland Road
Cambridge, MA 02140
Tel: 617-945-7294
Fax: 617-812-5854
Email: vbestor[at]fas.harvard.edu