IEEE Press Author FAQ

Answers to Common Questions about Publishing with Wiley-IEEE Press

News for Authors About the IEEE Press E-book Program

I recently received a letter about plans for an IEEE Press e-book program. The letter says that e-book versions of Wiley-IEEE Press books will be bundled in a subscription package to be sold to library customers, and says, “Revenue generated from this sales effort will be shared among authors and publishers according to terms of the author contract.” How will that work?

As our copublishing partner, John Wiley & Sons has administered royalty payments to authors since 2001. The IEEE e-book program will employ the same principles that Wiley already uses to distribute royalties from its subscription packages. The price of the IEEE e-book package has not yet been determined. From the net receipts of IEEE e-book subscription licenses, a royalty pool will be reserved to pay all authors whose books are included in the subscription package. Individual author shares will vary according to the list price of his or her book, and the royalty rate specified in his or her contract.

My contract doesn’t mention electronic rights. What royalty percentage will I receive?

Most IEEE Press author contracts have not treated electronic copies separately from print sales; therefore sales of e-books have been and will be treated the same as print.

Who will buy this subscription package?

IEEE sells its online products to academic, corporate and government libraries around the world. All of these will have an opportunity to subscribe to the e-book package. The e-book package will be indexed and integrated into the IEEE Xplore search, so that users at subscribing institutions will be able to access individual chapters of all Wiley-IEEE Press books, among the journals and conferences proceedings already included in IEEE Xplore. More than 80 million articles were downloaded from IEEE Xplore last year.

The letter also says that, separately from the library subscription package, some older IEEE Press books will be made available as a free IEEE member benefit. Will I see any royalties from this?

Recognizing the years of support provided to the book publishing program by IEEE, we are taking steps to make IEEE Press books older than three years (i.e., copyright year 2006 and earlier) available online to IEEE members who authenticate via an IEEE Web Account. There will be no charge to members and therefore no revenue to produce royalties. The principal benefits to authors will be enhancement of reputation, increased discoverability of their work, likelihood of increased citations, and an incentive for IEEE members to buy complete print copies via a link to wiley.com.

I’m not sure that I want my book offered online for free. Do I have a choice?

Yes. We believe that the exposure of our authors’ work to IEEE members will serve authors well. However, until 20 May 2009, any author who wishes to exclude his or her work from the proposed member benefit may do so by simply e-mailing a request to ieeepress@ieee.org. That e-mail address can also be used to submit questions about any aspect of our publishing program, including e-books.

Will the e-books eventually be sold to the general public through Xplore?

Yes, the second phase of the IEEE Press e-book program will offer online chapters and complete e-books for sale. We’ll develop this capability in 2010.

Will Press e-books be available on the Amazon Kindle and other e-book readers?

Some of our books are already available for the Kindle and other e-book readers. Amazon decides which books they will offer for the Kindle. At the moment, graphics and math in most technical literature does not display very well on handheld readers, but the technology is improving rapidly, and users are proving to be receptive.

What about security of e-books?

New IEEE Press books have been offered as online books through Wiley InterScience since 2002, in much the same way as they’ll be displayed in IEEE Xplore, and no major security issues have surfaced. As responsible digital publishers, both Wiley and IEEE take appropriate precautions to see that content is used according to license requirements. Certainly, any incidence of illegal web posting of IEEE content is dealt with promptly.

News About the Wiley-IEEE Press Relationship

What’s changed recently in the IEEE Press copublishing agreement with John Wiley & Sons?

In 2008, the concluding year of its 2006-08 Strategic Plan, IEEE Press proposed a new plan to the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board. A primary feature of this new plan is to use the expertise of copublishing partner John Wiley & Sons for acquisition of new projects, as well as production, marketing and manufacturing.

A new copublishing agreement, effective at the beginning of 2009, adds acquisition of new publishing projects to the functions carried out by Wiley. Since 2001, Wiley has performed the critical publishing tasks of production and manufacturing, and sales and marketing of all IEEE Press books. Wiley has worked with Press authors in typesetting their final manuscripts, designing covers and assuring that Press titles effectively reach a global audience.

What’s included in acquisition?

The acquisition process covers the author-publisher relationship up to the point of book production. This includes submission of the author proposal, review and approval of the proposal, contract negotiation, and manuscript development.

Does that mean that authors will write books for Wiley instead of the IEEE?

No. Author proposals for IEEE Press will be received by Wiley staff editors and shared for review by IEEE Press series editors and members of the IEEE Press Editorial Board, as well as IEEE Society liaisons and other volunteers. Authors of IEEE-approved proposals will negotiate contracts with John Wiley & Sons, but IEEE, not Wiley, will hold copyright in these books. IEEE Press volunteers will approve proposals for IEEE Press copyright.

The Wiley-IEEE Press imprint has always included some Wiley-copyright books by authors who have originally signed with Wiley. This arrangement will continue so that appropriate Wiley-copyright books may be proposed for the joint imprint. Inclusion of these Wiley titles is subject to review and approval of IEEE Press Editorial Board members or experts designated by the board.

I’m an author who wanted IEEE Press to publish my book because IEEE experts would provide technical review of my manuscript. Will that still happen?

Yes. The copublishing agreement with Wiley provides that both proposals and manuscripts will have the same level of review as when IEEE staff handled acquisitions. The only difference is that Wiley staff, instead of IEEE, will manage the review process. IEEE Press volunteers will continue to offer their expertise to authors through these developmental reviews.

I’m an author under contract to publish with IEEE Press. Where will I submit my finished manuscript?

Current IEEE Press authors who complete their manuscripts will submit them to Wiley for technical review. The final manuscript, as amended by the author, will go to the Wiley production team.

As an author, will I have any contact with IEEE Press staff?

Yes. The new arrangement with Wiley allows IEEE Press to cut expenses by reducing staff from three to one full-time employee. Jeanne Audino (j.audino@ieee.org), formerly IEEE Press project editor, now has responsibility for author communications and for the IEEE Press e-book program. IEEE Press operates within the IEEE Book and Information Services Department, headed by Ken Moore, director (k.moore@ieee.org), who is the principal IEEE business contact with Wiley. also, Lani Angso, Book and Information Services Department administrator, (l.angso@ieee.org), provides volunteer support and maintains author contract records. All of these IEEE personnel continue to be available to answer author questions.

What’s ahead for IEEE Press in e-book publishing?

The new 2009 plan approved by the IEEE Publication Services and Products Board also authorizes IEEE Press to vigorously pursue new products in the form of e-books that may be provided to library users of IEEE Xplore, as well as to IEEE members.

Currently, IEEE Press books are offered by Wiley in print as well as various electronic media – as electronic books provided by third parties such as NetLibrary and Books 24 X 7, and as online books offered through Wiley InterScience. A growing number of IEEE Press books are also offered in the Amazon Kindle e-book program.

ieee xplore, the IEEE’s premier online content delivery platform, currently includes abstracts of Wiley-IEEE Press books in Xplore’s online search. However, later this year, all of the more than 400 titles in the imprint will be offered as searchable, full-text chapters in IEEE Xplore. This will enable the work of IEEE Press authors to reach a much wider audience, who may use it in searches integrated with other IEEE content.

The Xplore content plan will open other options for use of IEEE Press content, and these will be shared on a continuing basis with authors in special communications, and in postings on the IEEE Press web site.

Answers to Other Common Questions about Publishing with Wiley-IEEE Press

What is the royalty rate for authors?
Wiley-IEEE Press offers a competitive royalty commensurate with the sales expectations for the book and expenses of publication. It is determined during contract negotiation with Wiley.

When should I try to find a publisher for my book?
If you have identified an area in which you have expertise, believe that you have something new or better to contribute than other published books, and have a clear idea of what you want to write -- you should prepare a proposal. The IEEE Press Proposal Guidelines can be found on our website at this page. Completing the proposal guidelines and a detailed table of contents, plus writing a representative chapter results in a solid writing plan. The proposal reviews give you feedback on both the technical merit and market interest in your project. This way you will not have spent time writing material that might be eliminated or at a level of detail that is inappropriate to the needs of the market.

What are you looking for?
The Wiley-IEEE Press joint imprint publishes books that will be useful resources for technology professionals. That gives a broad range of possibilities when we consider the audience to include engineers dedicated to product design and manufacture, teaching professionals in search of texts for higher-level coursework, and researchers in a wide spectrum of technologies. Most important, of course, is that a prospective author have a body of knowledge to share with a ready market -- especially cutting-edge or underserved areas where there is both an interest and need for new books. Among our most successful books are those that introduce the reader to an emerging technology that’s just on the threshold of widespread commercial acceptance. But any proposed books that help technology professionals solve problems in their daily work life will be worth considering.

Who holds the copyright in the book? How is it branded?
IEEE Press authors contract with Wiley, but the IEEE holds the copyright in the work. The IEEE Master Brand appears at the top of the spine and the Wiley colophon at the bottom. Both brands appear elsewhere on the cover and inside the book. If the book is in a series, the series brand and identification appears on the cover and title page. If an IEEE Society sponsors the book, that information appears on the title page.

Do you offer full production services or does the author typeset the book?
Through our agreement with John Wiley and Sons, we offer our authors full production services: copyediting, art preparation, page make-up, and collaboration on all aspects that affect the aesthetics of the final, printed book. For authors that desire to typeset their own books, Wiley copyedits the book and prepares the cover design.

How are the books promoted?
Wiley is primarily responsible for the marketing of our publications through the same tactics and channels as their other publications. Additionally, the IEEE and individual IEEE Societies support Wiley’s efforts by including our publications in member marketing efforts and space available advertising. Wiley has created a special page at www.wiley.com/ieee that highlights our publications and IEEE entities are encouraged to link to this site or to specific book pages.

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