Jasmin Lange - Faces of Brill

Position: Project Manager Business Development   Short job description: Jasmin works as project manager for business development at Brill. Her role covers a broad range of activities while focusing on the acquisition of publishing programs, journals, and publishing companies. “Together with my colleague Sam Bruinsma, I assess publication programs and determine whether they fit well with Brill.” Publishers, or programs within publishing companies, may become available for acquisition for a variety of reasons. It could be that an owner no longer wishes to continue with the business, or that the program itself no longer fits within the company’s broader strategy.  Much of Jasmin’s time is spent on the integration of new publishing programs. "There is a lot of interaction in this job and each acquisition is different,” Jasmin says. "In business development we also look at new business models, as well as licensing opportnities for key reference works. The digitalization of collections (primary sources, backlist print titles, etc.) is also interesting for us.”

What is your favorite part of the job?

“The best part of my Job is the different people I work with internally and externally.” she says. “When we acquire a publishing list, we have to look at the entire publishing process, from the moment an author gets in touch with us to moment his or her book lands on the desk of our customer. It is a lot of fun to work with all those different stakeholders. And it makes you realize how sophisticated and complex academic publishing is these days.”

You originally worked in the publishing side of things at Brill. Why did you choose to change positions?

Jasmin started working at Brill for the publishing program Language & Linguistics. In Germany she studied business management and completed a PhD in book studies. Her current position allows her to combine her interests and expertise in both of these areas.

Thoughts about publishing:

“Ideas and knowledge need to be made available to society, and I consider this an important job that comes with a responsibility. I am happy that I can make a small contribution to that process.” Jasmin says, “I also know what it is like to be an author and I have respect for what it entails; it’s hard work!” Through this experience, Jasmin knows how important it is for a publisher to provide good services to its authors.

What is the most recent project you worked/or are working on?

“The most recent project is the integration of the Amsterdam based publisher Rodopi into Brill” Jasmin explains. “Eight new employees have started to work for Brill in June of this year and they will move to our office in Leiden soon. This acquisition is certainly the most challenging project I have worked on so far.”

In June 2014, Brill officially completed the acquisition of Rodopi as it was deemed a good strategic fit with the existing list of publications in the humanities and social sciences.

What makes Brill special?

“Brill is one of the best publishers in the humanities in Europe. It has traditionally a very strong list with some of the best authors in the field. And we are flexible enough to move along with the fast moving technology.”