In this Useful Books Community Q&A, we’re joined by Jermey Matthews, Acquisitions Editor at MIT Press (i.e., the person who decides whether an author gets a publishing deal).

Jermey joined the MIT Press after working for nine years as industry reporter and book reviews editor for Physics Today magazine. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s and a PhD degree in chemical engineering.

Jermey is now responsible for commissioning, acquiring, and publishing books on topics in the physical sciences, engineering, and mathematics.

Jermey is also the co-founder of STEM Reads Book Club, formerly a subscription book box for children that is now being transformed into a community for educators, librarians, parents, creators, and anyone passionate about using stories to introduce STEM topics and STEM careers to young children.

Timestamps & topics

• 0:00 Hello!
• 0:53 “Acquisitions editor”?
• 1:58 Predicting a book’s success
• 3:17 Entrepreneurial authors & reader communities
• 5:01 Beta readers & peer review
• 6:12 On mass-market math books
• 7:23 Books for learning vs. books for doing
• 8:10 Business model, profitability, & pricing
• 10:38 Warning signs & exciting indicators
• 13:52 Post-publication priorities
• 15:35 Royalties, advances, & investing in an author
• 16:44 Pitching a publisher vs. being recruited
• 17:58 Researching (and timing) the market for a book
• 20:13 Tradpub vs. indie publishing?
• 21:20 Nuances of a publishing deal
• 24:09 Learning more from Jermey