Occasional Publications

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is an educational charity.  The first of its charitable objectives is

To promote objective, scholarly research into the history of the organ and its music in all its aspects, and, in particular, into the organ and its music in Britain.

1.2 In accordance with this objective, the society has since 1976 published a quarterly newsletter containing information about organs, organ music and current research (BIOS Reporter), and an annual journal with more extended peer-reviewed papers and articles (BIOS Journal) which has become recognised as the leading journal of scholarly research in its field.   

1.3 In 2020, the BIOS Council decided that, in accordance with its first charitable objective, the society’s publishing activity should be extended to include occasional books and monographs relating to the organ and its music in Britain.  In coming to this decision, the Council recognised that authors sometimes struggle to find commercial publishers for books that are of interest to a specialist readership, and that there is a consequent danger that valuable research and writing in the field could be lost.   

1.4 BIOS has limited funds for supporting its occasional publications and relies on the generosity of officers of the society to undertake the practical arrangements for publications, including reviewing proposals, negotiating with authors, and managing design and production.  However, the Council is confident that BIOS has the resources to enable a series of occasional publications to enter the public domain with its sponsorship, and that this objective is in accordance with the society’s charitable purposes.  

2.0 Criteria for assessment and process of review

2.1 Potential publications should relate to the organ and its music in Britain.  This intentionally includes a wide range of topics including the evolution of the instrument, its construction, use, and cultural and social contexts, as well as studies of individual organ-builders, organists and composers.  Since 1976, BIOS has published approximately 350 articles in the BIOS Journal.  These give an indication of the kind of topics that might be considered for future occasional publications.   

2.2 Similarly, the articles in the BIOS Journal exemplify the standards of research, writing and presentation that will be expected for inclusion in the proposed series of occasional publications. 

2.3 Authors wishing to put forward a book or monograph for publication will be requested, in the first instance, to submit a synopsis of the text with an outline list of contents and at least two chapters in draft to the BIOS Publications Officer. These will be peer-reviewed and the Publications Officer will then communicate initial comments to the author. A clear indication will be given if it is felt that the proposed publication would not be suitable for publication by BIOS. Otherwise the Publications Officer will pass on comments or suggestions from the review group that might assist the author in completing a final draft.  No firm offer to publish the author’s work will be made until the finalised text is available and has been peer-reviewed favourably. 

At this stage the Publications Officer may indicate that publication will be dependent upon the author agreeing to make specific modifications.  Assuming that communication between the Publications Officer and author has continued during the writing process, these are unlikely to be onerous or unwelcome. 

2.4 BIOS will not normally publish texts of more than 160,000 words.  One reason for this is the need to ensure that a single publication does not tie up the limited funds available for occasional publications for an extended period.  It will also be necessary to have regard for the number of illustrations, the complexity of any technical drawings or diagrams, and the layout of stop-lists, all of which can add significantly to the production costs.

3.0 Contractual arrangements and production

3.1 Publication will be the subject of a written agreement or contract between BIOS and the author defining the obligations of both parties.  The author will be entitled to receive five copies of the publication, with further copies at a 33% discount.  The agreement will also make provision for the disposal of any ultimate profit on the publication; this will normally be retained by BIOS as funding for future occasional publications.  In the event that the author has contributed to the cost of design and production, an appropriate division of any profits will be made in the contract.

3.1a The print run (numbers of copies) will be determined by the Publications Officer, in consultation with the BIOS Council and the author. The decision will be based on cost of the book as balanced against the break-even point, the anticipated number of books sold based on subject, and storage considerations. 

3.2 BIOS will normally undertake entire responsibility for the cost of design and production.  However, in certain circumstances an author may wish to make a contribution towards the cost, especially if the proposed publication exceeds the word-length defined in 2.4 (above) or requires the incorporation of unusual features with significant cost implications.  The division of costs in such a situation will be subject to negotiation between BIOS and the author and the terms will be set out in the contract.  

3.3 It is the responsibility of the author at his or her own expense to obtain from the copyright owner written permission to include and reproduce within the publication any textual or illustrative material, and to pay any fees thereby incurred.

3.3a Submitted manuscripts should conform to the BIOS ‘Notes for Contributors’. 

3.4 Once the finalised text has been accepted for publication, the Publications Officer will oversee the design and production.  The author will be consulted when that is appropriate or helpful, but the Publications Officer’s decision on any disputed matters will be final.

3.5 Once the book or monograph has been published, it will be advertised on the BIOS website and in other BIOS publications.  It will be available for purchase via the BIOS ‘Store’, an online facility which is part of the BIOS site.  Other opportunities for promoting the publication will be subject to discussion between the Publications Officer and the author, as will any associated costs. While BIOS will make reasonable efforts to advertise the books through its normal advertising outlets, further advertising can not be promised. 

3.6 It will be the responsibility of the author to make arrangements for the storage and delivery of all copies of the publication. This includes shipping the publication to depository libraries.  BIOS has no facility for warehousing stocks of books and no staff to undertake distribution.  Authors may wish to take responsibility for this themselves, or explore the use of a distributor as many publishers do.

4.0 Submission of proposals

It is suggested that these should be based on the online ‘notes for contributors’ to the BIOS Journal.

Please send to publications@bios.org.uk

Dr Katharine Pardee
Publications Officer
August 2024