Publisher analysis
About the publisher
Name: Library Juice Press
Website: http://libraryjuicepress.com
Purpose, objective, or mission: Library Juice Press is an imprint of Litwin Books, “specializing in theoretical and practical issues in librarianship from a critical perspective, for an audience of professional librarians and students of library science.” They publish topics such as “library philosophy, information policy, library activism, and in general anything that can be placed under the rubric of ‘critical studies in librarianship.'”1
Target audience: Professional librarians and students of library science. 2
Owner: Litwin Books, LLC. 3
Are published books peer reviewed? “Our book publishing does not currently have a peer review process in place.” 4
Types of books published: LIS-specific books and manuscripts.
Medium: Print.
Topics covered: Library philosophy, information policy, library activism, and any topics under the rubric of “critical studies in librarianship.” 5
Number of titles published per year: In 2020, Library Juice Press published four titles. 6
Location of submission guidelines: https://litwinbooks.com/authors/
About the publisher’s submission guidelines
Types of submissions accepted: The publisher accepts book proposals and full manuscripts on topics that are within its editorial scope.7
Submission and review process:
If you would like to submit a manuscript, email it as an attached MS Word or RTF file using the appropriate email address below. Please follow the Litwin Books Submission Guidelines in formatting your manuscript. Please also attach 1) your CV, and 2) a separate document stating the intended audience and purpose of the book.
Book proposals should include the following:
- The title of the proposed book
- An outline
- A list of already-published materials that you plan to include
- Proposed deadline for submission of the final manuscript
- A description of the book of between 100 and 500 words, stating the book’s subject matter, intended audience, intended purpose, and approach to the topic
- A description of other works already published on the same topic that yours will be competing with.
- A list of your prior publications
- A relevant writing sample
- Your CV8
Please send general book proposal submissions to inquiries@litwinbooks.com.
For book proposal submissions for the Series on Gender and Sexuality in Information Studies, contact series editor Emily Drabinski, at edrabinski@gc.cuny.edu.
For book proposal submissions for the Series on Critical Book, Publishing, and Literacy Studies, contact series editor Robert Montoya, at montoya@gseis.ucla.edu
For book proposal submissions for the Series on Archives, Archivists and Society, contact series editor Richard J. Cox, at rjcox111@comcast.net.
For book proposal submissions for the Series on Critical Race Studies and Multiculturalism in LIS, contact series editors Rose L. Chou, at roselovechou@gmail.com or Annie Pho, at anniepho@gmail.com.
For book proposal submissions for the Series on Critical Information Organization in LIS, contact series editors Violet Fox and Kelsey George at CritCat.InclusiveMetadata@gmail.com.
Editorial tone: Academic and professional.
Style guide used: “We do not require the use of a specific style guide. We do require that your chosen style is consistently and correctly applied throughout the work, whether a single authored work or an edited volume.” 9
Conclusion: Evaluation of publisher’s potential for LIS authors
Library Juice Press titles focus on theoretical investigations into library activism, social justice, feminist pedagogy, as well as practically oriented books like So You Want to Be a Librarian. The publisher produces serious, in-depth works with alternative perspectives. “Our independence from larger institutions gives us the freedom to offer critical perspectives that cut against the grain, as well as occasionally to give a scholar free rein with a work that is outside their usual publishing stream.” 10
A related and worthwhile opportunity to submit writing that is not book-length is Library Juice’s annual paper contest (2,000 to 10,000 words), which is designed “to encourage and reward good work in the field of library and information studies, humanistically understood, through a monetary award and public recognition.”11 The contest is open to librarians, library students, academics, and others. “Acceptable paper topics cover the full range of topics in the field of library and information studies, loosely defined. Any type of paper may be entered as long as it is not a report of an empirical study. Examples of accepted forms would be literature review essays, analytical essays, historical papers, and personal essays. The work may include some informal primary research, but may not essentially be the report of a study.”12
Audience analysis
About the publisher’s audience
Size (as measured by average number of copies per title published): Publishing since 2006, Library Juice Press has approximately 60 published titles. 13
Audience location and language or cultural considerations: While the publisher is based in California and books are published in English, recent Library Juice Press titles focus on international perspectives—i.e., academic librarian labor activism in Canada, and librarianship in the context of the Cuban revolution.
Reader characteristics: Readers are interested in content that addresses: social responsibility; information as a public good; intellectual freedom and civil liberties; print culture, web culture, visual culture, and the meaning of literacy; information policy and ethics; and the state of the library profession (issues of identity, work life, and de-professionalization).
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: Readers are professional librarians and students of library science who likely have a very strong knowledge of or strong interest in specific LIS subject areas.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
Library Juice Press originated as a webzine and blog, covering “topics of interest to passionate librarians from a political left perspective that is linked to the fundamental values of the profession.” LIS authors seeking to publish works that are politically oriented or rooted outside the cultural mainstream may potentially find an audience through Library Juice Press.
Last updated: March 1, 2021
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