A junior faculty member writes:
I just received an email from VDM Verlag asking to publish my dissertation "in the form of a printed book." I was wondering if you knew this publishing company, and whether you think doing something like this is a good idea for junior faculty. I wasn't planning on publishing the dissertation, I'm on to other projects, but part of me thinks that it can't hurt (although maybe it could for tenure?) I googled the company and it SEEMS like a legitimate organization, or at least not a blatant scam. They have a large number of books on Amazon.com etc. On the other hand, it is a form letter and I received identical emails at my old email adress and my new one.Anyhow, I thought you might want to post this for discussion on your site since I'm sure many of your readers have received similar solications. If it is a blatant scam, then it couldn't hurt to warn people about it either I suppose.
I've heard of VDM Verlag, I think, but know next to nothing about it. I am inclined to think if one's dissertation is worth publishing, it is with revisions and one should aspire to place it with the best publisher possible. But comments are open, and I invite thoughts from readers on the general question about publishing dissertation, as well as from readers knowledgeable about Verlag.
