Professor Alison Baverstock

About

I co-founded MA Publishing at Kingston in 2005-6 and have been heavily involved in the international development of Publishing Studies throughout the period. I believe strongly that a professional discipline, offering both academic thinking and professional practice at the highest level, equips our graduates for a career in publishing, as well as allied fields. Understanding both the 'how' and 'why' leaves them well placed to solve problems we do not yet even anticipate.

Prior to working in higher education, I was a publisher. I have researched and written broadly about the industry and contemporary culture. My books are widely translated and used world-wide within industry, academia - and general society. 

A lot of my research related to my commitment to widening awareness of the ongoing benefits that come from involvement in reading and books. I have been significantly involved with initiatives to encourage participation. These include founding the award-winning Well Worth Reading within public libraries (1985 onwards, now part of The Reading Agency), Reading Force (www.readingforce.org.uk) within Forces families and at Kingston our pre-arrival and internationally recognised shared-reading scheme - The Kingston University Big Read (which won a THE Award for Widening Participation in 2017).

My industry-related research has explored the discipline of Publishing Studies, self-publishing, marketing in publishing, what shapes an author and how shared-reading can serve to make transition between educational stages easier (now working within schools as well as HE). 

I have also published four books (with Gill Hines) on parenting, including the bestselling Whatever! A down to earth guide to parenting teenagers (Piatkus), and introducing young people to art - a personal passion. A first generation student myself, I am committed to widening participation, inclusion and civic engagement.

I live in Kingston. I'm always keen to convince others that it's a great place to live, as well as work.

Media enquiries

Journalists who would like to arrange interviews with the University's academic experts should contact the Communications team.

Academic responsibilities

Professor of Publishing, Director of the Kingston University Big Read, founder of Reading Force

Qualifications

  • PhD
  • MA
  • PFHEA
  • National Teaching Fellow (2018)
  • Winner of the Pandora Award, for a significant contribution to the publishing industry (2007)
  • Recipient of a PM's Pillar of Light Award (2019)
  • Lifetime contribution to military wellbeing from 'Soldiering On' (2022)
  • Winner, with Claire Jackson, of the Universities Alliance, Best Innovation Award (2022)

Teaching and learning

Research

I am currently supervising PhDs within publishing history, literacy, bibliotherapy and marketing in publishing and have supervised several candidates for PhD by Publication to completion. Please get in touch if you have a proposal for consideration as a PhD, or a body of work you think might be presented for PhD by Publication.

Research student supervision

Publications

Number of items: 77.

Article

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie and Cowie, Andrew (2022) How can shared-reading be used to develop community connectivity within the contemporary church? Logos, 33(1), pp. 36-45. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison, Boorman, Elaine, Morgan-Armstrong, Corin, Jenkins, Leanne and Morgan, Helen (2021) What were the processes and outcomes of offering shared reading as an intervention for veterans in prison? Logos, 32(3), pp. 7-27. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison (2021) What were the processes and associated impact of enabling Education students to increase their awareness of the specific educational issues of Service families? Education 3-13, ISSN (print) 0300-4279 (Epub Ahead of Print)

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie, Shelar, Tanuja, Squires, Kelly, Karodia, Nazira, Butler, Rebecca, Smith, Sara, Sopromadze, Natia, Crowley, Sara, Clark, Alison, Hutchinson, Maya, Holderness, Rebecca, Carney, Clare, Castle, Jeanette and Jefferies, Richard (2020) The Big Read Collaboration between Kingston University, the University of Wolverhampton, Edge Hill University, and the University of the West of Scotland, 2018–2019. Logos, 31(3), pp. 34-65. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison (2020) What significance does Publishing Studies have right now? Learned Publishing, 33(4), pp. 449-452. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2019) What President Trump has shown us about choosing a subject for political biography. Logos, 30(2), pp. 7-11. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2019) What makes a writer? How do early influences shape, and working habits develop, those who write? Publishing Research Quarterly, 35(3), pp. 327-351. ISSN (print) 1053-8801

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie, Morris, Julie and Fenwick, Catherine (2019) What were the processes and outcomes of involving secondary school pupils transitioning from primary to secondary school in pre-arrival shared-reading? A case study. Education 3-13, 47(8), pp. 933-956. ISSN (print) 0300-4279

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie, Webster-Henderson, Brian, Bryars, Laura, Cairncross, Sandra, Ennis, Laura, Morris, Wendy, Gray, Avril and McLuckie, Connie (2018) Using pre-arrival shared reading to promote a sense of community : a case study across two institutions. Logos, 29(4), pp. 37-52. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison and Wenger, Debora (2018) What value do academic qualifications have within a profession-oriented discipline? Journalism Education, 6(3), pp. 72-84. ISSN (online) 2050-3903

Baverstock, Alison and Somerville, Clare (2018) Does free mean without value? And is free ever worth stealing? The process, outcomes and learnings from a practice as research project encouraging recipients of a free book to value what they received. Logos, 29(1), pp. 38-55. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie, Bryars, Laura, Sheehan, Kimberley, Butler, Charlotte, Williams, Allison, Dalba, Angelika, Brixey, Dan, Conor, Adam, Higgins, Ciara and Waddington, Elle (2017) How do you choose a book for a pre-arrival shared reading scheme within a University? A case study. Logos, 28(3), pp. 41-57. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2017) What were the process and response of university staff and students to the availability of a shared reading scheme for those embarking on a university education? A case study. Logos, 28(1), pp. 29-44. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison (2016) Using shared reading to switch students onto books. The Bookseller : Futurebook,

Baverstock, Alison (2016) 12 tips on how to work across a university. Times Higher Education,

Baverstock, Alison (2016) Is peer review still the content industry's upper house? Learned Publishing, 29(1), pp. 65-68. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison [Reviewer] (2016) Book Review of: 'The cottage by the highway and other essays on publishing : 25 Years of Logos' edited by Angus Phillips. SHARP News, 25(1), p. 29. ISSN (print) 1073-1725

Baverstock, Alison (2016) What are the barriers to trying to reach, and evaluate the impact of working with, Forces Families? Assessing the effectiveness of Reading Force, a programme to promote shared reading within the Forces community. Logos, 27(4), pp. 36-56. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison, Steinitz, Jackie, Bryars, Laura [Collaborator], Kerin, Michael [Collaborator], Peel, Naomi [Collaborator], Stohler, Rachel [Collaborator] and Waddington, Elle [Collaborator] (2016) The implementation of a shared reading programme within a university : a case study. Logos, 27(2), pp. 48-61. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison, Blackburn, Robert and Iskandarova, Marfuga (2015) How the role of the independent editor is changing in relation to traditional and self-publishing. Learned Publishing, 28(2), pp. 123-131. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison, Blackburn, Robert and Iskandarova, Marfuga (2015) Who are the independent editors, how did they reach their role and what are their associated job satisfactions? Learned Publishing, 28(1), pp. 43-53. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison (2015) Does the UK book-publishing industry today lack boundaries - or frontiers? Logos, 26(1), pp. 27-39. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2014) How is the discipline of publishing studies accommodated within universities? Learned Publishing, 27(4), pp. 291-300. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2014) Barriers and opportunities for research in publishing studies. Learned Publishing, 27(3), pp. 207-221. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2013) What satisfactions do self-publishing authors gain from the process? Learned Publishing, 26(4), pp. 272-282. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison and Steinitz, Jackie (2013) Who are the self-publishers? Learned Publishing, 26(3), pp. 211-223. ISSN (print) 0953-1513

Baverstock, Alison and Gordon, Hattie (2013) Reading Force: can an experience of shared reading be used as a conduit to effective communication within both Services families and their wider communities? Children in War: The International Journal of Evacuee and War Child Studies, 1(10), pp. 77-88. ISSN (print) 1745-7211

Baverstock, Alison (2012) Are publishers born or made? Logos, 23(1), pp. 30-37. ISSN (print) 0957-9656

Masikunas, George and Baverstock, Alison Mary (2011) How well do UK publishers of marketing textbooks investigate and understand the market to which they are selling? International Journal of the Book, 8(4), pp. 93-102. ISSN (print) 1447-9516

Baverstock, Alison (2010) Where will the next generation of publishers come from? Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 42(1), pp. 31-44. ISSN (print) 1198-9742

Baverstock, Alison (2010) What competencies do today's academic authors need? Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 41(3), pp. 354-363. ISSN (print) 1198-9742

Baverstock, Alison (2008) Big audio-visual dynamite? Myslexia, 38, pp. 8-12. ISSN (print) 1473-9399

Baverstock, Alison [Interviewee] and Davies, Hannah (2008) Wanted: first job in publishing. The Bookseller, 5323, p. 52. ISSN (print) 0006-7539

Baverstock, Alison (2007) Trouble and strife on the home front. The Sunday Times, p. 9. ISSN (print) 0956-1382

Baverstock, Alison (2007) Is there a book in you? The resources writers need to get published. International Journal of the Book, 4(3), pp. 87-92. ISSN (print) 1447-9516

Baverstock, Alison (2004) Supermarket sex: it's the write stuff. The Times Newspaper, 68151, p. 6. ISSN (print) 0140-0460

Baverstock, Alison (2004) Practice to a peak: is private coaching skewing standards? The Times Newspaper, 67971, p. 16. ISSN (print) 0140-0460

Baverstock, Alison (2003) Standing up for copyrights. The Bookseller, 5076, p. 10. ISSN (print) 0006-7539

Baverstock, Alison (2002) Why they don't buy books. The Bookseller, 5049, pp. 26-27. ISSN (print) 0006-7539

Baverstock, Alison (2002) University challenge. The Bookseller, 5023, p. 16. ISSN (print) 0006-7539

Book

Roeder, Annette , Baverstock, Alison and Cunningham, Matt, eds. (2021) At the height of the moon : a book of bedtime poetry and art. Munich, Germany : Prestel. 160p. ISBN 9783791374802

Baverstock, Alison , Bradford, Richard and Gonzalez, Madelena, eds. (2020) Contemporary publishing and the culture of books. London, U.K. : Routledge. 346p. ISBN 9780367443153

Hines, Gill and Baverstock, Alison (2014) Later! a guide to parenting a young adult. London, U.K. : Piatkus Books. 272p. ISBN 9780349404462

Baverstock, Alison (2014) Writing family memoir: a 60-minute masterclass. London, U.K. : The Guardian. 64p. (60-Minute Masterclasses)

Baverstock, Alison (2011) 13 British artists children should know. Munich, Germany : Prestel. 48p. (The 13 series) ISBN 9783791370620

Baverstock, Alison (2011) The naked author: a guide to self-publishing. London, U.K. : Bloomsbury. 377p. ISBN 9781408139820

Baverstock, Alison (2010) How to get a job in a museum or art gallery. London, U.K. : A & C Black. 280p. ISBN 9781408109342

Hines, Gill and Baverstock, Alison (2009) It's not fair! Parenting your bright and challenging child. London, U.K. : Piatkus. 304p. ISBN 9780749940461

Baverstock, Alison, Carey, Steve and Bowen, Susannah (2008) How to get a job in publishing: a really practical guide to careers in books and magazines. London, U.K. : A&C Black. 280p. ISBN 0713685034

Baverstock, Alison (2008) How to market books: the essential guide to maximizing profit and exploiting all channels to market. 4th ed. London, U.K. : Kogan Page. 384p. ISBN 0749450207

Baverstock, Alison (2006) Is there a book in you? London, U.K. : A&C Black. 241p. ISBN 9780713679328

Baverstock, Alison and Hines, Gill (2005) Whatever! a down to earth guide to parenting teenagers. London, U.K. : Piatkus Books. 192p. ISBN 0749925949

Baverstock, Alison (2003) Joseph Cornell: secrets in a box. Munich, Germany : Prestel. (Adventures in art) ISBN 3791329286

Baverstock, Alison (2002) Publicity, newsletters and press releases. Oxford, U.K. : Oxford University Press. 96p. (One step ahead) ISBN 0198603843

Baverstock, Alison (2001) Marketing your book: an author's guide. London, U.K. : A&C Black. 150p. ISBN 0713659653

Baverstock, Alison (1995) Commonsense marketing for non-marketers: straightforward techniques for spectacular results! London, U.K. : Piatkus. 224p. ISBN 9780749915223

Baverstock, Alison (1993) Are books different?: marketing in the book trade. London, U.K. : Kogan Page. 171p. ISBN 0749409002

Baverstock, Alison and McKearney, Miranda (1990) Well worth reading: an experiment in fiction promotion. Winchester, U.K. : Well Worth Reading. ISBN 9781870651868

Book Section

Baverstock, Alison (2019) Who takes legal responsibility for published work? Why both an understanding and lived experience of copyright are becoming increasingly important to writers. In: Jeffries, Janis and Kember, Sarah, (eds.) Whose book is it anyway? A view from elsewhere on publishing, copyright and creativity. [Cambridge, U.K.] : Open Book Publishers. pp. 105-128. ISBN 9781783746491

Baverstock, Alison (2012) Helping to market your book. In: Owen, Alysoun, (ed.) Writers' & artists' yearbook 2013. London, U.K. : Bloomsbury. pp. 306-309. ISBN 9781408157497

Baverstock, Alison (2012) How to attract the attention of a literary agent. In: Owen, Alysoun, (ed.) Writers' & artists' yearbook 2013. London, U.K. : Bloomsbury. pp. 425-428. ISBN 9781408157497

Baverstock, Alison (2012) Is there a book in you? In: Owen, Alysoun, (ed.) Writers' & artists' yearbook 2013. London, U.K. : Bloomsbury. pp. 279-282. ISBN 9781408157497

Baverstock, Alison (2007) How to present yourself as a writer. In: Earnshaw, Steven, (ed.) The handbook of creative writing. Edinburgh, U.K. : Edinburgh University Press. pp. 369-375. ISBN 9780748621354

Baverstock, Alison (2004) Help along the way: Alison Baverstock. In: Scottish Publishers Association, (ed.) Thirtieth anniversary of the Scottish Publishers Association: a celebration. Edinburgh, U.K. : Scottish Publishers Association. pp. 86-87. ISBN 0953148262

Conference or Workshop Item

Baverstock, Alison (2018) What part can pre-arrival shared-reading play in student understanding of their transition to higher education and the nature and role of assessment within universities? In: Simply Better : Researching Assessment Practices – Improving Student Outcomes; 13 Sep 2018, Southampton, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison, Morris, Wendy, Bannerhan, Leslie, Knight, Dewey and Dennis, Melissa (2018) Hands across the sea : UK/USA collaboration on common reading. In: 37th Annual Conference on The First-Year Experience; 10-13 February 2018, San Antonio, TX, USA. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison, Bryars, Laura, Webster-Henderson, Brian and Rivera, Errol (2017) Using shared reading to promote a sense of community - between 30,000 students, 10,000 staff and over 400+ miles. In: HEA Annual Conference 2017 - Generation TEF : Teaching in the spotlight; 04 - 06 Jul 2017, Manchester, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison and Bryars, Laura (2017) Case study : effectively engaging students - The Kingston University Big Read. In: Promoting and Improving Student Wellbeing in Higher Education; 18 May 2017, London, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison, Ennis, Laura, Morris, Wendy and Moulton, Joanne (2017) How can pre-arrival shared reading build a university community? In: The London Book Fair; 14-16 Mar 2017, London, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison (2012) Why self-publishing now demands research rather than disdain. In: Educational Research Forum; 15 Jun 2012, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison (2010) But who will buy it? In: Annual Kingston Publishing Conference; 03 - 04 Sep 2010, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison (2010) What has changed? Publishing at a crossroads in the 21st century. In: Annual Kingston Publishing Conference; 03 - 04 Sep 2010, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison [Speaker] (2010) Getting started as a writer. In: Kingston Reader's Festival; 26 Apr 2010, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Hines, Gill [Speaker] and Baverstock, Alison [Speaker] (2010) It's not fair! Parenting the bright and challenging child. In: Kingston Reader's Festival; 23 Apr 2010, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison [Speaker] (2009) How to get a publisher or agent to notice your work. In: Kingston Reader's Festival; 23 Apr - 22 May 2009, Kingston upon Thames, U.K.. (Unpublished)

Baverstock, Alison Mary (2006) Is there a book in you? The resources writers need to get published. In: Fourth international conference on the book; 20-22 Oct 2006, Boston, U.S.. (Unpublished)

Thesis

Baverstock, Alison Mary (2012) How books became less 'different ' : an exploration of the rise of marketing within the publishing industry 1980-2010, and consideration of how this not only changed the business model, but impacted on the role of the author; with consideration of the likely associated implications of these developments in future. (PhD thesis), Oxford Brookes University, .

This list was generated on Mon Mar 18 06:40:41 2024 GMT.