Testimonials
I have been working with the Intellect Journals team for nearly ten years now – our journal Punk & Post-Punk is approaching its tenth anniversary early in 2021. I worked as an associate editor for the first three years and have been lead editor now for around six years. Working with Intellect has been a real pleasure, and the journals manager and team have been incredibly supportive and professional throughout. The production editor is a real star – correspondence with the editorial team has always been timely, helpful and productive, and she even manages to deal with my often-erratic working schedule that doesn’t make many allowances for evenings, weekends or holidays.
Credit must be given to Intellect for agreeing to set up a journal of Punk & Post-Punk way back in 2011, when our field of scholarship was very new and it was hard to see where interconnections across subject fields and practices might form. Since then, we have gone from strength to strength, spanning fields of study from music to fashion, art and design, ethnography, history, media, photography, the social sciences, cultural studies, philosophy, film and literature. Subscriptions have grown and the impact of the journal has been recognised by SCOPUS and the Web of Science, further expanding our breadth and reach. It is testament to the professionalism and commitment of our contributing authors, the Punk & Post-Punk Editorial Board, my co-editors and of course the Intellect team that we are looking ahead to our second decade of publishing the journal.
Russ Bestley, editor of Punk & Post-Punk
I really cannot recommend Intellect enough. I started out as editor of the European Journal of American Culture (EJAC) back in January 2010. I fondly remember visiting the Intellect offices in Bristol to chat about the editorial role in late 2009 – I’d lived in the city during my Ph.D. so it was a great excuse to return. The journal itself has a decent history to it – in its original form dating to 1981 – and I was excited by the journal's cultural studies/popular culture remit and how diverse the pieces could be (we’ve moved seamlessly from Stephen King horror to the Donald Trump Presidency). I’ve now been working with Intellect for over ten years. The journal is so carefully copy edited, beautifully illustrated, and well organized. My production editor Julie Strudwick has been an exceptional colleague over the years: always helpful, always meticulous, friendly and caring, and a credit to any publisher. I’ve also dealt with Bethan Ball, Faith Newcombe, Nicola Reisner and more. Intellect is a publisher that I truly admire and I’m very proud to be a part of their endeavour; long may it continue.
John Wills, editor of European Journal of American Culture
At a time when other major publishers had rejected our journal proposal owing to difficulty in understanding a novel interdisciplinary approach to the study of hospitality, Intellect agreed to publish Hospitality & Society. In the ten years of our existence we have seen the journal steadily grow and have achieved an international reputation for originality and quality. Working with Intellect is very easy. It is a pleasure to work with friendly and helpful staff as well as having complete freedom in decision-making and not being under the kinds of target pressures that come from working with larger publishers. The production quality standards of the journal have always been very high. The downsides of working with a small but dynamic publisher relate to the reach of the marketing budget and the efficiency of online systems compared to larger publishers. However, if starting over I would go again with Intellect.
Paul Lynch, editor of Hospitality & Society
It was May 2009 when I first contacted Intellect about the possibility of starting a new journal on Islamic architecture. I did not know much about Intellect at that point; it was introduced to me by another press as a creative publisher interested in innovative ideas. It took me almost three years to get through the approval process, form a small editorial team, announce the journal in listservs, collect papers and eventually publish our first issue in January 2012. Thereafter, my successful collaboration with Intellect motivated me to start a new book series focusing on the architecture of the Middle East. So far, we have published nine volumes of International Journal of Islamic Architecture, four books, and have three more under publication.
My ten-year collaboration with Intellect has been a successful story. Over the years, we have built a professional relationship which allows us to be honest, creative and progressive. Despite the challenges of academic publication in the twenty-first century, Intellect has created a transparent and effective environment in which creativity and innovation is appreciated and rewarded. I have admired Intellect for putting the authors' rights and publication quality first in a world dominated by brutal business models. I commend Intellect's team for founding such an amazing entity and creating a community of which I am a proud member.
Mohammad Gharipour, director and founding editor of International Journal of Islamic Architecture
I have enjoyed immensely working with Intellect on the publication of my Fellini’s Films and Commercials: From Postwar to Postmodern. My editor, Jelena Stanovnik has been wonderful: rigorous, flexible, supportive, and collegial. Decisions about editing, format, illustrations and the cover were made with great thought and engagement. The copy editing went well, which is not always the case with the frequent outsourcing that occurs these days. The book looks wonderful, and I am very proud of it – and of my association with Intellect. I think the Press combines the highest of academic standards with a clear awareness of its market.
Frank Burke, author of Fellini’s Films and Commercials
Intellect Books was the perfect fit for my idea for my book. Thankfully the team at Intellect thought the same; I had a really good experience with them. My editors were always helpful, always clear and I enjoyed our conversations. When it came to copy editing, they did a rigorous job, which I appreciated. With the front cover design, they took my opinions into account and I felt consulted, as well as confident that I was in good hands. The end result looked fabulous. [...] The photographs and layout was beautifully done and I felt like Intellect really cared for the book. After publication they helped me with a book tour and Dancing with Parkinson's has been publicised at various conferences. I would have no hesitation in publishing with Intellect Books again and highly recommend it if you are after a good experience and a top notch product.
Sara Houston, author of Dancing with Parkinson’s
I can highly recommend working with Intellect. My monograph with them is based on my dissertation, and they accommodated me to make sure I could get it published despite the regulations and demands of the German system I come from. I chose Intellect as my publisher because I met James Campbell at the PCA/ACA and EUPOP conferences; he had left me with the impression that they were much more professional than many other academic presses in the field of popular culture studies – an impression that has since been confirmed. Everyone I worked with was friendly, committed to and supportive of my book from beginning to end. My three peer reviewers were clearly chosen with care and I received positive and constructive feedback from obvious experts in my (rather niche!) field. Helen Gannon has gone and above and beyond in getting my manuscript finished and has been a joy to work with, and Alex Szumlas has designed a wonderful cover. I am already planning several other projects with them and hope we continue to have a successful work relationship for years to come.
Sabrina Mittermeier author of A Cultural History of the Disneyland Theme Parks
Working with the Intellect team in Bristol was a real pleasure. They were very accommodating and always available to answer any questions or concerns I had as book co-editor. They kept me regularly updated with deadlines and editorial/publisher’s requirements and were very flexible and accommodating when it came to some of the deadlines not being met. Their professional approach from discussing the initial idea for the book, to the publishing and marketing of it was exemplary. I would highly recommend them to all academics looking to publish their work
Matt Grimes, editor of Punk Now!!
It was in a giant convention hall at a mega art conference that I first became acquainted with Intellect Books. Intellect’s offerings were distinctive despite the welter of publications on display. Initially, I was attracted by the quality and versatility of the book designs. Subsequently, this positive impression was reinforced by Intellect’s ‘list’ that included many books exploring timely, progressive topics. My conference encounter culminated in a lively conversation with James Campbell, Intellect’s International Marketing Manager. Intellect’s partnership with the University of Chicago Press offered an added bonus. Thus, I was delighted when Intellect accepted my book proposal. My post-publication recommendations to pre-publication authors provides a measure of my esteem and gratitude to the Press, and to Campbell who has generously activated his marketing skills on behalf of my book.
Linda Weintruab, author of What's Next?
Working with Intellect was a very pleasurable experience. It is encouraging to see how Intellect represents independent critical voices in an authentic and supportive manner, creating a space which goes beyond the usual market imperative. Intellect showed great sensibility for book projects which push the limits of academic publishing. The production process was highly professional, supportive and dialogic, resulting in books which I believe are at very high standards. I am thankful and happy to be able to work with such a publisher.
Oliver Vodeb, editor of Food Democracy: Critical Lessons in Food, Communication, Design and Art
I highly recommend Intellect as an academic publisher sincerely committed to advancing ideas and creative scholarship. Intellect’s team members were prompt, professional, intellectually engaged and committed to co-producing a book that lived up to the expectations of the author, the artist of the cover and the editors.
Matthew Heinz, author of Entering Transmasculinity: The Inevitability of Discourse
Working with Intellect has been an outstanding, memorable experience, as they are extremely professional and really work hard to make unusual projects materialize. My production editor was very efficient, communicative and helpful during all steps of the process. My book project used a specially designed template, and the design team was both excellent and highly receptive regarding incorporating my feedback. What strikes me is that the ‘big picture’ counts for Intellect and their editorial staff, but to achieve a high-quality project, details are also considered in a very meticulous way. The peer reviews I received were very thorough and commissioned from knowledgeable scholars in the field. The provisional timeline I was given was adhered to almost down to the exact dates, proofreading was top notch, suggestions were offered that improved the work, such as the recommendation of an excellent indexer, and much close attention was paid to refining the final design. Marketing is now doing a great job getting some greater visibility for the book.
Martin Patrick, author of Across the Art/Life Divide: Performance, Subjectivity, and Social Practice in Contemporary Art
I have been working with Intellect for five years, ever since I submitted the proposal for Metal Music Studies to them on behalf of the International Society for Metal Music Studies. I had been drawn to Intellect by seeing the excellent work put into other journals in the portfolio, particularly Post & Post-Punk, Horror Studies and International Journal of Community Music. I love reading journals and am a sucker for great design combined with innovative content. I had spoken to the editor of IJCM, Lee Higgins, and been enthused by his enthusiasm for Intellect. I co-edited a special issue for IJCM, then got the green light to publish Metal Music Studies. At every stage of the process the team at Intellect’s office were fully supportive and encouraging. It is the personal connection I feel most valuable in that relationship – everybody who has worked with me on the journal believes in the journal and the value of academic publishing. It is difficult to name names because so many people have helped me and the journal, from editorial to production and design and marketing – however, I have to mention Bethan Ball, because she has gone up to eleven as our production editor, and I value all the work she has done to keep us metal people in good order. I am really proud of the cover of our journal, and the way Intellect have marketed us across the world through social media and through more traditional catalogues and stands.
Karl Spracklen, editor of Metal Music Studies
My experience of working with the Intellect team has always been extremely positive. I have been very grateful for their support on a number of projects and it always seems that they are open to new ideas, whilst professional in how they support a publication at all stages, from start to finish. I am particularly impressed with how they are open to novel and adventurous titles that intentionally challenge disciplinary boundaries, trusting that the book or journal is a worthwhile project. The flexibility they provide is really excellent. I am also grateful for the team’s openness to imaginative design and format, and the results are always excellent. Having worked with Intellect for around ten years I very much appreciate their genuine interest in the research community that I am editing and writing for, shown in how they respond imaginatively to ideas about how to reach more readers and generate more interest in our publications. I know that some of the most popular and referenced titles in my field of research are published by Intellect. I think it is down to the flexibility about design, format, timeframe and openness to imaginative subject matter. The whole team’s encouragement and the confidence they show in a publication throughout the development process is really inspiring and has led me to recommend Intellect to many colleagues.
Sarah Whatley, editor of Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices; co-editor of Dance, Somatics and Spiritualities: Contemporary Sacred Narratives and Dance, Disability and Law: InVisible Difference
I’ve been extremely pleased with my experience with Intellect. It is a highly professional organization that is supportive and, at the same time, innovative. My positive experience began before I even submitted a proposal. I had discussions with James Campbell, the marketing representative, at popular culture conferences. He understood what we wanted to do, how it addressed an underserved market, and encouraged us to pursue the project. What I admire most about Intellect is their willingness to take chances. Launching a conventional hard-copy journal these days is very rare because of the start-up costs and the time it takes to build a readership and a reputation. Intellect has been patient with us and willing to give us the time and resources necessary to make our journal a success. Even for someone such as myself who had edited anthologies and guest edited journals before, the learning curve involved in a new journal launch is a steep one. Intellect has a deep bench of titles on which a new editor may ‘apprentice’ as a guest editor, which facilitates familiarizing oneself with their processes and workflows. It proved an invaluable experience. The supportive nature of the working experience with Intellect continued well after our launch. The production people are willing to work with us on unforeseen issues with manuscript turnaround and unconventional content. Likewise, the marketing assistance has been more than I expected and has been responsible for our growth. My positive experience with Intellect is apparently not unusual. A number of colleagues have worked with them and were similarly impressed. Few publishers enjoy such an excellent reputation.
Bruce E. Drushel, co-editor of Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture
Having published three books with Intellect over the last decade, I'm in a good position to offer an entirely positive testimony about my long-lasting experience with this vibrant publishing house. Prior to becoming an Intellect author, I had worked with a number of Italian and international publishers and therefore I was immediately able to perceive and appreciate the shift of the peculiar relationship style that informs the way people at Intellect interact with authors. Since the beginning I was pleasantly surprised by the uncommon aptitude, shared by people you come in contact with at the various stages of the publishing process, to maintain a stance that is equally friendly and respectful towards authors – the evidence, among others, of excellent selection and training of the staff. Furthermore, and perhaps most importantly, having experienced more than once the unconditional request by publishers to make changes to the submitted manuscript, I have especially appreciated the flexibility and the listening attitude displayed by the Intellect editors when it comes to negotiating changes and revisions. I have always had the sense that my freedom of decision was unquestioned, and this helped me to be more open and receptive towards the competent and expert suggestions advanced by my editors. On a different but related note, I really like how Intellect cares for the formal aspects of the products – the covers of my three books made me happy and proud for the effective way they translated into enjoyable aesthetics the central thrust of the works. Great job indeed!
Milly Buonanno, author of The Age of Television: Experiences and Theories and Italian TV Drama and Beyond: Stories from the Soil, Stories from the Sea; editor of Television Antiheroines: Women Behaving Badly in Crime and Prison Drama
I first heard about Intellect from my friend Professor Amelia Jones, who had published an excellent book on performance studies with the press. So I went to visit them in their wonderful repurposed paper mill headquarters in Bristol, England. I was immediately taken by the three welcoming young women who made time to thoroughly discuss my book project and gave me a sampling of very attractively produced books on various subjects to examine. After having worked with them on a rather complicated monograph project with many illustrations and seven different authors, I am still very satisfied with the communication and working relationships we've developed. The production and editorial staff are genuinely interested and engaged in my project and have shown themselves willing to be flexible and to try their best to fulfil our dreams for this project. At all times, I have felt free to express my ideas and responses to their designers and editors, and have been listened to, and seen changes made even if it cost more time and effort. Best of all, I know that their hearts are in it, and they genuinely believe in my project and are doing their utmost to fulfil my expectations and ideas. Thank you, Intellect and all your capable and friendly staff.
Faith Wilding, co-author of Faith Wilding’s Fearful Symmetries
Thanks to the creativity and skills of the production editors, managers, graphic designers and typographers at Intellect, Short Film Studies is an exceptionally attractive journal that I am proud to share with colleagues and to see available at international film festivals. And corresponding with production editors and managers has been a pure delight for nearly ten years now. They have always responded immediately to my messages and invariably in a cheerful and helpful way, solving any problems that have arisen, meeting my requests and making sure I knew that my work as editor was highly appreciated. Thanks to them and to the splendid production values of each issue, with numerous images beautifully reproduced, editing this journal has been a great pleasure for me.
Richard Raskin, editor of Short Film Studies
I started my journey with Intellect in 2016 for the 2017 issues onwards. I must take this opportunity to offer my gratitude to the publisher, who provides such a critical platform for the subject area of Chinese contemporary art and visual culture in the West whilst no peer-reviewed journal is available in China itself. Working closely with Intellect in the past five years, we have made every issue themed to sharpen its focuses for an international audience. With indispensable support from Intellect, this relatively young journal has been accepted by prestigious databases such as Scopus, and experienced growth with a significant increase in the number of institutional subscriptions worldwide, including prestigious art institutions outside academia such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) and the V&A Museum.
My initial plan was to take the editorship only for three years. This plan has now been changed, not necessarily by my continuous research interests in the field, but instead by my collaborative experience with the Intellect team, particularly Bethan Ball, and by their admirable enthusiasm and professionalism. We are impressed with the efficiency of the Intellect team in assisting with matters relating to copy-editing and copyright, which are outside our expertise.
Jiang Jiehong, principal editor of Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art
As managing editor of Journal of Scandinavian Cinema since its inception twelve years ago, I have worked in close collaboration with the Intellect team, in particular three successive production editors. During the editorial process for each issue, their experience, skills and savvy have been invaluable. Production editors have always responded quickly to questions both general and specific, and have played a major role in shepherding journal issues to publication. Although we have never met in person, this close involvement over the years has made us colleagues, even long-distance friends. It has been a great pleasure to work with them.
When I send an article on to Intellect, my personal goal is that it be ready for publication, with no additional edits needed. So far, I have missed this mark (though I’ve come close) because the extraordinarily meticulous Intellect copy editors – anonymous figures to me – always manage to find some small detail (or details) that I have missed. Consequently, the copy editors always win the contest they don’t realize they have entered. I have not, however, given up hope. JSCA is proud to be among the more than 50 journals, in a broad range of humanities disciplines, that Intellect publishes.
Rochelle Wright, managing editor of Journal of Scandinavian Cinema
I began working with Intellect in 2011, under the stewardship of the visionary and much-missed Masoud Yazdani. In addition to co-editing (with Tan See Kam) the journal Asian Cinema, I have produced three books with Intellect. I have never worked with a more professional, efficient and supportive team. From the copy editors, typesetters and designers to the production managers, directors and marketing wizards, the Intellect team abounds with creative and talented people. They are true collaborators and a pleasure to work with. Under Naomi Curston’s auspices, Asian Cinema has gone from strength to strength. I simply can’t recommend Intellect highly enough.
Gary Bettinson, editor of Asian Cinema
I have tremendous respect for the team at Intellect. As well as providing exceptional editorial and marketing support for the journal I edit (Journal of Screenwriting), they have a deep and authentic commitment to diversity, equality and integrity. They care about their people (staff, editors, contributors) and their customers (readers, librarians, students). This is really important at a time when many other international publishers are cutting costs and fragmenting their operations into different – often disconnected – arms. With Intellect journals, the whole process – commissioning ideas, receiving drafts, copy-editing, typesetting, marketing and distribution – is coherent, efficient and, perhaps most of all, human.
Craig Batty, editor of Journal of Screenwriting
Working with Intellect as co-editors of Studies in Musical Theatre has been easy, straightforward and free of conflict, which we appreciate enormously, especially through this particular moment in time. Because we began our five-year term as co-editors at the start of 2021, our training for the gig(s) began in the accursed year of 2020, thus through a stretch that didn't typically feel easy, straightforward, or conflict-free at all. We have very quickly come to trust and appreciate the assured professionalism of the editors at Intellect. Bethan Ball and Faith Newcombe have been enormously helpful, knowledgable and accommodating: they made time to meet with us and the outgoing editors as we took the reins, and have been consistently quick to respond to emails and correspondence. Now preparing our second issue, we feel comfortable, well-supported and at ease with the work at hand. We thank the entire staff at Intellect for their professionalism, know-how and enormous support.
Elizabeth Wollman and Jessica Sternfeld, co-editors of Studies in Musical Theatre
It has been a pleasure working with Intellect for the past ten years as the editor of Journal of Italian Cinema and Media Studies. I have experienced first-hand both the outstanding international academic reputation of Intellect as a publishing company and the dynamic spirit, solid professional guidance and inspiring force of the former and late chairman, Masoud Yazdani, of the managing director Mark Lewis and of their exceptional staff.
I have been particularly impressed by the remarkable communication skills, both in face-to-face and phone conversations, of the editorial staff at Intellect. Furthermore, the promptness, efficiency, reliability and highly professional competence of Amy Damutz, Bethan Ball, Naomi Curston and Nicola Reisner have been the critical factors guiding me from the initial idea of a new journal, conceived at the Screen conference in Glasgow in July 2010, through the multiple steps and laborious process of bringing to life the first academic journal on Italian cinema and media studies. Through my collaboration with Intellect, JICMS today is more than an academic publication: it is a vast and dynamic community of international students, scholars and professionals. Also, as the founder and editor also of the book series Trajectories of Italian Cinema and Media Studies, established in 2019 and published by Intellect and Chicago University Press, I am proud to work with Jelena Stanovnik on the publication of several successful volumes.
These are the extraordinary attributes that define the success of Intellect and the reasons behind my decision to work with them.
Flavia Laviosa, principal editor of Journal of Italian Cinema & Media Studies