Hi there.
I am John Bond from Riverwinds Consulting and this is Publishing Defined.
This is the second in a seven-part video series on issuing an RFP or Request for Proposal
to potential partners to publish a journal.
This part is called, Creating the RFP Document.
The RFP starts at the association or organization.
A person or persons should be appointed to lead the internal process.
An organization might also engage a publishing consultant at this point to help guide the
effort.
All internal parties involved in the process should be identified and a team assembled,
usually with representatives from the leadership, editorial, sales, marketing, and technology.
Other groups are likely to be involved but that varies by organization.
I would suggest an initial meeting to solidify the key points.
The first one is to determine the objectives in issuing the RFP, prioritizing each one.
Growth, revenue enhancement, lowering costs, increasing publication reach, going to open
access, driving member engagement, and many others are worthy objectives but it is unlikely
to have them all.
Be specific with the goals and hopefully have them tangible or measurable.
There is an old saying about determining what you need versus what you want and it surely
applies here.
Second, create a timeline.
Leave more time than one would imagine is necessary.
Only the association loses in trying to compact the time frame.
Third, define what a model publishing partner looks like: big/small, local/international,
generalist/specialist in the journal's field, and so one.
This may help focus the effort.
Next agree on the format of the document that is being created.
Some general business websites offer templates for RFPs.
A bit of advice: a publishing RFP is a complex documents and definitely are not cookie cutter.
Also, if an RFP was used by the group five or ten years ago, I urge organizations to
start fresh.
So much has changed in the field and there is value in starting anew.
There are recognized topics to be covered in an RFP, for example; sections about the
association, about the journal, review of the market, editorial overview, marketing
and sales overview, technology expectations, and so on.
Within each section, publishing partners will expect certain data to be presented such as
an historical overview of manuscript flow, circulation statistics, subscription history,
ad sales, and many others.
These categories do vary by publication type and industry, but many are recognized as musts.
Missing key categories will send the wrong signals to the potential publishers about
how sophisticated the organization is in regard to the RFP and the publishing process.
This information is expected by any experienced publisher.
Publishing consultants bring to this process an understanding of what both parties want
and need and work to form an arrangement beneficial to the association and its journal.
Plus, they save the organization time and effort.
Back to the preparation, the RFP will cover the past, the present, and the future.
Past data on the publication; the present status; and the future goals and objectives.
Some advice: be frank about any negatives with the publication or the field.
Most likely these negatives will all surface and better to come from you and for you to
proactively present them.
The more complete the picture is upfront, the smoother the process will go.
If the journal is currently being published with a partner, be honest about their performance
and the reasons that organization is issuing an RFP.
So, a draft is created internally.
Circulate it among all stakeholders and elicit feedback.
Make a final draft and circulate it once again.
Have all parties sign off on the final version that will be sent out.
Eventually, all points in the RFP will have to be addressed by publishers in their proposals.
All of the responses will need to be evaluated and compared.
While the document is being prepared, it might be worthwhile to create, in parallel, the
weighting system that will be used later on with each item.
More on this later.
The final RFP document will be an electronic document that may range in length from as
little as 15 pages up to 50 or even 100 or more pages depending on attachments, exhibits,
or appendices.
The document will likely include several charts, graphs, or tables.
Including too much or too little can send signal to the publishers about how knowledgeable
the group is.
The conclusion of the document will be a series of questions or points for the publisher to
respond to.
The more specific these points are, the better for everyone.
The RFP should give very specific instructions for the expected date of submission for proposals
and the expected format.
The document will give facts and ask questions but the essence of it is to elicit from potential
publishers that information necessary to find the best partner who fits the two most essential
criteria: a publisher that understands the particular field or area in question and one
that will work in a way that is commensurate with the association's culture and leadership.
A great RFP should be a tight document focused on exact needs and expectations.
Click here to start the next video Building the List of Potential Publishing Partners.
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And make comments below or email me with questions.
Thank so much and take care.
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