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NEWSLETTER
November 2004

November 2004 ACE Publishing SIG Newsletter

In this issue: - - -

Your Publishing SIG has been very active of late. Read on to find out what we've been up to and how you can be involved.

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First PubSIG "conversation call" yields valuable info about producing
compelling publications

Nine people participated in the November 8 PubSIG "conversation call" on the topic of ACE C&A (Critique and Awards). Mike Quinn--judge for Class 23 (Special Reports) with 38 years of experience as a magazine and newspaper reporter, as a newspaper and magazine editor, and as a new media manager--shared his perspective as a judge for the last few years
and responded to questions we posed to him. The tips Mike provided should be useful to all of us not just to win an award, but to produce a compelling publication.

I took some notes during the conversation, which Mike offered to review. But he did more than that: He greatly expanded his answers to our last question, "Any final pointers for us?" To read his thoughts related to covers (front, back, outside, and inside), photos and captions, introductory text, messages from the dean/director, publication shapes, and more, read the notes I've attached to this message. Our plan is to post these notes to the PubSIG website soon.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Think of a topic that you believe would be good for a future PubSIG conversation call, and let me know what it is.
- Read the notes from our Nov. 10 conversation call with Mike Quinn (PDF file). It might reinforce choices you already make or it might inspire you to do something differently.

- - -

Dec. 8 conversation call to focus on PubSIG programming for 2005 ACE/NETC
conference

What a thrill to receive four responses to my request that you send me your ideas for an indepth PubSIG session for the 2005 ACE/NETC conference! Tom Knecht, Diane Bowen, Sandy Clarke, and Lisa Jasa have shared some intriguing suggestions related to the future of publishing, pros and cons of PowerPoint, and copyright issues for both written content and images.

During our next PubSIG conversation call scheduled for Wednesday, December 8 (4 Eastern, 3 Central, 2 Mountain, 1 Pacific), we'll flesh out these and other ideas and try to zero in on how we want to use the three 50-minute blocks of time available to us at the conference for indepth sessions. Remember: These are in addition to the breakout sessions that individuals are encouraged to propose through the "Call for Proposals" process.

The conversation call will be no longer than an hour. Well send you a reminder--with instructions for dialing in--a day or two before the call.

If you can't join the conversation call but want to share your thoughts about the topics already suggested or some other topic, please let me know.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
- Mark December 8 on your calendar now, and plan to offer your thoughts about indepth programming for the ACE/NETC conference.
- Consider submitting a proposal to present a breakout session or poster, or for a professional development tour or workshop at the conference.

- - -

Board rules on proposed changes to Publishing Category of the ACE C&A
(Critique and Awards) Program

In the October issue of the PubSIG newsletter, I told you that the PubSIG leaders made several recommendations to the Board related to the Publishing Category of the ACE C&A (Critique and Awards) Program. We have since learned that the Board approved our recommendations with a few adjustments. Entrants in the One- to Three-Color Popular Publications class will be directed to the description in the Four-Color Popular Publications class. Wording in the description of the Editing Class will mention that an entrant may or may not include marked copies of materials to be judged. The Special Reports Class will be divided into Special Reports and Promotional Brochures. The description for Promotional Brochures will be as follows: "Promotional publications. Submit one copy of a publication, typically a brochure, flyer or pamphlet, created for promotional purposes. The publication should be designed to encourage public acceptance or to foster positive reaction. Entries will be evaluated for editorial quality, format, graphics, photography, design and reproduction."

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PubSIG desperately needs someone to help with the website

For the last several years, Kim Parker, computer and technology specialist with University of Vermont Extension, has graciously acted as the PubSIG website's best friend--putting up information as we've forwarded it to her. But Kim has left Extension and taken another position at the University of Vermont, and we need to find someone to take over this critical task quickly.

Please consider volunteering for this task, or asking someone such as Kim (who was not a member of the PubSIG) to perform this service. Our PubSIG website is vital to our success.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Send me the name of someone who can put up information to the PubSIG website that is forwarded to that individual monthly.

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National Resource Management Officers (NRMO) meeting is forum for exchange of ideas

The National Resource Management Officers (NRMO) meeting in Gainesville, Florida, October 17-19 was attended by distribution center managers, customer-service representatives, editors, business managers, communication department heads, and software programmers from all over the country. The informal, round table discussions covered a variety of topics including royalties, profit-sharing, co-publishing agreements, print-on-demand, e-commerce, and other issues in the publishing field. Those attending also shared handouts, catalogs, business cards, etc. See the linked PDF file for details of the meeting for some of the ideas generated. Thank you, PubSIG Vice Chair Glenda Freeman, for providing this summary.

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Award of Excellence call for nominations will be in January

The "formal" call for nominations for the ACE Publishing SIG Award of Excellence will go out in January, but start thinking now of deserving colleagues whose excellence in the Publishing SIG area, involvement in ACE, and outstanding leadership deserve recognition and applause. Think of someone who
- is either a current or past member of the Publishing SIG,
- is an ACE member for the current year, and
- has at least five year's membership in ACE (not necessarily consecutive).

Any ACE member--active, associate, or retired--may be nominated by any ACE member. Nominees must not currently be serving as chair or vice chair of the PubSIG, nor serving as ACE president, president-elect, or vice president.

More later on deadlines, etc., but if you want to get a head start, nomination forms, past winners, and a description of the award and its criteria are at www.aceweb.org. Select ACE Awards under Programs and Products, and look for Award of Excellence in the listing.

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Website update

Updates to our PubSIG website (www.aceweb.org/sigs/publishing/index.html) include the following:

- Goals (revised): If you click on "Goals," you'll find a link to the 2004-05 PubSIG Action Plan (organized by each of the seven PubSIG goals) that Vice Chair Glenda Freeman, Vice Chair-elect Helen White, and I recently submitted to the Board.

- PubSIG Newsletters: The October newsletter has been added.

- Critique and Awards (C&A) Program Winning Entries: Here you'll find a link to the 2004 gold-winning entries and a link to the names and affiliations of the gold, silver, and bronze winners for each class in the Publishing category.

- Chair's Reports to the ACE Board: Here you'll find the Fall '04 Report we recently submitted to the Board, which includes information about how responsibilities are divided among PubSIG leaders, how the leaders are communicating with members, and how members are encouraged to communicate with each other, etc.

- Professional Tools: If you click on "Recommended vendors," you'll find information about a printing company recommended by Judy Winn. (Thanks, Judy.)

Many thanks to Kim Parker for making the changes to the website for the last few years! Thanks, also, to Sue Keller for reviewing the website monthly.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Know of a professional tool--listserv, style manual or other reference, professional organization, or vendor--you'd recommend to other PubSIG members? Just go to the appropriate page on the PubSIG website and submit the information.
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News from or about PubSIG members

From Sandy Clarke, Iowa State University: "I've been working on having the content of my organization's newsletter licensed for distribution by a third-party aggregator (EBSCO Publishing for further dissemination in the company's information products (Web, CD-ROM, and other services). In working through the details of the contract, we realized that we (the newsletter) could not claim to own the copyright to the content; the authors (scholars) owned the copyright, because they weren't required to sign a release. We have now implemented a copyright release form for the authors to sign when they write an article for our newsletter. The copyright contract is nonexclusive. It just gives the newsletter a 90-day exclusive to the content. The writers are free to use the content as they wish after that period. The newsletter is given the right to disseminate the content in other products and to offer reprint privileges."

Be sure to turn to the back of the latest issue of ACE's "Journal of Applied Communications" to read a review by Jane Honeycutt, Louisiana State University, of "Eats, Shoots & Leaves," an international best seller about punctuation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

- Send me a message about something that you're doing in the publishing arena or about a resource you're finding valuable to share in the next PubSIG newsletter.

- Consider submitting a review, professional development article, or commentary to the "Journal of Applied Communications." More information is available at the JAC website at http://www.aceweb.org/JAC/guide.html.

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Parting words

Please consider doing one or more of the following:

-Think of a topic that you believe would be good for a future PubSIG conversation call, and let me know what it is.

- Join the conversation call on December 8 to plan indepth PubSIG sessions for the 2005 ACE/NETC conference.

- Submit a proposal to present a breakout session or poster, or for a professional development tour or workshop at the conference.

- Offer to help with the PubSIG website, or find someone else who can.

- Be thinking of someone to nominate for the Publishing Award of Excellence.

- Submit information about a professional tool that you recommend be listed on our PubSIG website.

- Send me a message about something you're doing or using in the publishing arena.

- Consider submitting a piece to the "Journal of Applied Communications."

Your colleagues will be glad you did, and so will you. 

--Meg Ashman, PubSIG Chair (with considerable input from Vice Chair Glenda Freeman and Vice Chair-elect Helen White)

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Address comments to Meg Ashman. Last updated 07/05/2005.