Tyler Balli, Managing Editor at Ohio University Press, reports on visiting Ohio State University Press

Rationale for visit

I proposed my residency at Ohio State University Press for a few important reasons: First, Ohio State has been particularly diligent in its efforts to make books more accessible, something my own press is grappling with as well. Visiting OSU Press gave me the chance to discuss accessibility workflows with the whole staff (acquisitions editors, managing editor, EDP director, production editor) so that I could see in finer detail how this process should work.

Second, as a fairly new managing editor, I was particularly eager to learn more about managing the freelancer pool, providing meaningful experiences to student editors, and navigating the use of artificial intelligence in publishing, all within the context of our shared region.

Last, Tara Cyphers has a unique position in the press as its assistant director, managing editor, and an acquisitions editor in the area of rhetoric. Since I too come from manuscript editorial and also recently received acquisitions responsibilities, I was eager to learn from her about how to balance acquisitions and editorial work.

Summary of experience

My experience visiting OSU Press was wonderful. I was able to attend acquisitions, EDP pipeline, and staff meetings and to meet with Tara often as well as many other staff members:

• Met with project editor Elizabeth Zaleski to discuss workflow and other editorial concerns.
• Had lunch with Tara and editorial director Kristen Elias Rowley and discussed how to make meaningful internships and how to create a good workflow for alt text between acquisitions and editorial.
• Met with production manager Juliet Williams and production associate Stuart Rodriguez concerning PDF accessibility issues and how to remediate them.
• Met with director Tony Sanfilippo to discuss open access strategies and how to jump-start a dormant acquisitions list.
• Met with associate editor Becca Bostock and discussed acquisitions strategies as well as how to secure subventions and grants to underwrite publishing expenses.
• Met with Kristen after the residency (by video call) to discuss the differences between scholarly and trade acquisitions work.

Lessons learned

• I learned the basics of acquisitions: how to prepare for scholarly conferences, reach out to authors about projects, work with series editors, learn about the most important scholarship in a field, decide what to publish, and when and how to provide feedback to authors. Tara also provided some incredibly helpful sample documents and form letters to help me in many of these areas.
• I learned from Tara how to balance working simultaneously as a managing editor and acquisitions editor. We discussed the importance of setting boundaries on time, defining acquisitions goals, and developing strategies for delegating responsibilities to freelancers.
• I was very impressed by OSU Press’s work in finding subvention for their authors’ books. I learned how to look for publication-support funds on an institution’s website as well as how this can affect the price of a book.
• OSU Press staff also shared their process for writing alt text. I learned how asking authors to write their own alt text not only creates better alt text but also can encourage them to more thoroughly incorporate necessary illustrations into the argument of the main text. This creates a better, more accessible book while also keeping the number of illustrations down.

I am truly grateful for the opportunity to visit OSU Press through the residency program. Everyone at the press was so welcoming and incredibly generous with their time and knowledge. I learned so much that I’ve been excited to apply at my own press.