by Lorraine Klimowich, Senior Editor for Political Science, Economics, and Public Administration, Springer Nature
What is your company’s history? What sets your company apart?
Springer was founded by Julius Springer in 1842 in Berlin. It quickly became Germany’s leading scientific publisher. Over the years, the company has transformed into a global market leader for educational and professional media in business, natural sciences, engineering and social sciences. In 2017, Springer merged with the majority of Macmillan Science and Education to become Springer Nature, the entity that you are most familiar with. Between myself and my colleagues at Palgrave, we’ve got you covered for publishing in social science! What sets Springer Nature apart for me is our rich tradition of publishing high quality scientific content and our truly global reach—if you publish your research with Springer, rest assured that your peers will see it.
How has the COVID-19 pandemic impacted you and your organization? Do you have any important insights that you have learned in the past year?
I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that COVID-19 has been a shock to us all. Fortunately, as so much of the publishing business has been digital for so long, we’ve been able to transition to remote operations with relatively few bumps along the way. We’ve experienced a bit of a slow-down in print orders and delivery, as is to be expected, but we’ve tried to mitigate it by offering immediate ebook access for all print orders in the meantime. I think the biggest change on the ground for myself, as an acquisitions editor, has been the absence of conference travel and the lack of face-to face interaction with potential authors. Of course, we have e-mail, Skype, and Zoom, but I’m finding that I really miss in-person interaction. However, I am grateful to conference organizers, like MPSA, for giving us virtual options to keep our networks alive until we figure out what the ‘new normal’ will be. Until then, drinks at Miller’s will have to wait!
Myth vs Fact: Book Editor Edition
I’ve seen a few conversations on Twitter from potential first-time authors about being unsure about contacting publishing editors; i.e, is it ok to approach editors without an invitation, can I start a conversation without having a finished manuscript , who am I to think about writing a book, etc. I’m not going to speak for all of academic publishing, but from my perspective, prospective authors should never be afraid to reach out. I’m always happy to have a conversation about someone’s research and book ideas, even if it doesn’t lead to a concrete project in the moment. Honestly, publishing is a very small world and, chances are, if a project doesn’t fit my list, I will be able to pass you on to a colleague or contact that can help. For me, it’s all about building a network, so please, please, please reach out!
What is your favorite memory of the MPSA conference?
The Norton keg party! I was an associate editor for Norton’s political science textbooks before making the transition to Springer, and it’s something we looked forward to every year. Tapping a keg in the middle of the exhibit hall at an academic conference is a bit of a surreal experience, but always fun. Fortunately, I’ve remained on good terms with my former colleagues, so I can still float over and join in the fun. Runner up is MPSA 2015, where I screened the trailer for The Force Awakens from my booth. As we’re all aware, there’s a big crossover between political science and Star Wars (most notably in the IR/foreign policy fields) and I made many fellow geeks happy that day.
Lorraine Klimowich is senior editor for political science, economics, and public administration at Springer Nature. Based in NYC, she acquires books across the US, Canada, and Latin America. Feel free to reach out to her at Lorraine.klimowich@springer.com
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