From: Jim O'Donnell <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2014 16:03:37 -0400

From a librarian I don't know otherwise.

Jim O'Donnell

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, Apr 4, 2014 at 3:44 PM
Subject: RE: A questionable publishing model
To: [log in to unmask]

Dear Professor O'Donnell,

This year I've received at least one query a month regarding Lambert
and VDM subsidiaries. We advise graduate students to think carefully
about whether publishing with Lambert would benefit their career, and
its reputation in their subject field. What we don't say outright is
that we consider Lambert a predatory publisher.

In my personal opinion, a vanity press would be better, because at
least they would let the author keep the copyright. Publishing with
Lambert prevents an academic from publishing that work in a more
reputable venue.

Best,


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim O'Donnell <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 19:11:09 -0400

Seen today:

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/03/lap_lambert_academic_publishing_my_trip_to_a_print_content_farm.single.html

This is a not-quite-vanity press -- they will in fact "publish" your
book without asking you for money; then they will ask you for money,
encouraging
you to buy an appreciable number of copies of your book. The book may
be virtually any master's or even baccalaureate thesis they can find
evidence of on the web anywhere.  By this model they "publish" tens of
thousands of books.

What's interesting is that there's clearly a need being met and
clearly a business model at work here.  Few serious readers of this
piece will make
excuses for the model, but the company will continue to find those
tens of thousands of authors, who will find value in even this
sketchiest of deals.

Jim O'Donnell
Georgetown