As AI continues to reshape the way we search for and consume information, many publishers find themselves navigating an increasingly competitive landscape where author experience has become a critical differentiator.

Publishers who once primarily marketed to libraries and institutions must now appeal directly to a new set of customers: the authors, reviewers, and readers themselves. This shift isn't just about changing tactics—it's about fundamentally rethinking how publishers create value for the researchers they serve. 

Why Does Author Experience Matter Even More Now?

Authors want their research to reach their peers and make an impact. While the prestige of publishing in high-impact journals remains important, it's no longer enough of a selling point on its own—especially under gold OA models, where authors pay article processing charges (APCs) and readers access content freely.

When authors pay APCs, they're investing in the amplification and visibility of their research. Publishers must rigorously evaluate submissions and may reject work or request substantial revisions. This creates an inherent tension: publishers are compensated when they accept papers, yet attracting quality submissions requires meaningful selectivity and editorial standards.

To attract and retain the best authors, publishers need sophisticated tools and strategies to engage researchers who are actively publishing, producing relevant work, and seeking the right venues for their scholarship.

What Do Authors Want? 

1. Efficient publishing processes

The journey to publish often includes numerous steps for submission, review, acceptance, and publication. How efficiently and effectively a publisher can conduct these steps has a huge impact on how likely an author is to want to publish with you again. 

After all - if Amazon can ship something in two days, why would you buy it from a company that can get it to you in a week and a half?

Even when time-to-publish can’t be easily compressed, there are numerous touch points along an author’s journey where publishers can add efficiency and value, including: 

  • Responsiveness to author questions or concerns throughout the publishing process
  • Value and fairness during peer review (Don’t forget - your author pool may overlap with your reviewer candidates!)
  • Clear expectation-setting on timelines and next steps, and proof that progress is being made 
  • Transparency about editorial decisions

2. Intuitive author tools 

Navigating a journal’s manuscript submission system can be an arduous task, even for seasoned authors. 

If your tools create friction—redundant steps, unclear requirements, or confusing interfaces—authors are more likely than ever before to take their work elsewhere. Consider how your tools support researchers that may stumble over the details of institutional agreements or language barriers, or those less familiar with the publishing process as a whole. 

Alleviating points of friction with author submission tools can also contribute to the overall efficiency of your publishing process. For example, Hindawi recently shared that improving their submission and peer review platform increased editor engagement and lowered peer review turnaround times by 24%. 

3. Messaging only when relevant. 

Soliciting authors and peer reviewers is an inevitable part of journal operations, but blasting all your past and prospective authors with solicitations that aren’t relevant to their research is one surefire way to get them to stop opening your emails altogether. 

Readers aren’t the only ones who have come to expect a more personalized, relevant digital experience. 

The better you’re able to collect and connect behavioral data to your individual users, the better you can:

  • Identify timely potential special issue topics
  • Match potential editors and authors to appropriate journals 
  • Target recruitment messaging based on research interests 
  • Engage and retain top authors

Think good author marketing is just nice to have?
Karger Publishers recently proved that it's a revenue driver, with a portfolio-wide author marketing strategy that influenced over 1,100+ submissions and garnered up to 4.5X ROI. See how they did it! 

4. Proof of Impact. 

Your relationship with an author doesn’t end once their research has been published.

Remember - authors are incredibly motivated to publish as a means to amplify their research, and showing them the impact of their scholarly output only reinforces the value of their work.  

Traditional metrics like citation counts and h-index can take years to accumulate. Complement these with alternative metrics that provide immediate feedback:

  • Article opens and reads
  • Read depth and engagement time
  • PDF downloads
  • Social media mentions
  • Media coverage

This real-time feedback loop shows authors their work is reaching audiences and making a difference.

Make Author Experience a Competitive Advantage

As AI-powered tools transform how researchers discover and access scholarly content, the publishers who thrive will be those who recognize that technology alone isn't enough. With AI answer engines and large language models increasingly capable of synthesizing information from multiple sources, publishers must focus on what AI can't replicate: building trusted relationships with the researchers who create groundbreaking work.

The competitive advantage now lies in building genuine connections with authors—delivering value at every stage of the publishing journey, from discovery to submission to post-publication impact. By focusing on efficiency, intuitive tools, relevant communication, and demonstrable impact, publishers can transform author experience from an afterthought into the foundation of sustainable growth in an AI-driven future.