From: Danny Kingsley <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2014 01:50:02 +0000

Hello all,

Here are a couple of webpages in Australia which warn about the
problems with publishing with this group of publishers:

http://www.acu.edu.au/research/support_for_researchers/research_achievements/herdc/important_information_about_vdm_publishing

http://www.research.swinburne.edu.au/researchers/resources/lap-publishing/

Generally we advise people not to publish with them - our advice tends
to be make their thesis open access in their institutional repository
- this gives them exposure and there are no impediments to future
publishing with a reputable publisher (whereas publishing with these
guys prevents any further publication). We do occasionally have
requests to subsequently take open theses down from publishers - which
is fine.

Danny

-----Original Message-----

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