Proposal 2025-5 – ACA Literature Will Be Conference Approved Before Publication
Submitted by: Region 2 (Greater Western USA), CA1267 (San Diego, CA, USA), WEB0381 (Arroyo Grande, CA, USA), CA915 (Arroyo Grande, CA, USA)
Issue: We propose that all ACA literature is to be “Conference Approved” by the ACA fellowship before it is published and offered for sale. This change is expected to save thousands of dollars associated with the current practice of distributing unapproved ACA literature that may require substantial revision.
Background: WSO’s OPPM (pp. 37-47) outlines the process for ACA literature. Currently, the Literature committee evaluates submitted literature and may recommend it to the WSO Board. If WSO approves it, the book is typeset, printed, and sold without Conference Approval. Once published in English, the manuscript is distributed for fellowship review for one to three years for comments and suggested changes. The books are translated into multiple languages, published, and sold without Conference approval. The Literature Committee assesses fellowship input such as: comments, ways to reorganize, reword, delete, or replace material, or concerns, for example, plagiarizing works of others or authoritarian statements without therapist credentials. The committee then asks the authors to revise and resubmit the book. 8 Matters of large concern for our fellowship are threefold. Published ACA literature is now decided upon by a very small number of people on the evaluation team and WSO service board. When manuscripts are revised and receive Conference approval, additional costs are incurred for typesetting revisions in approximately 28 languages. Finally, another cost, unsold books without Conference approval, would be deeply discounted or discarded. Typically, the price to typeset and print or reprint the same book is about the same, perhaps changing only the date of publication. Artificial Intelligence (AI) translations are fine-tuned by volunteers. Small revisions cost, according to WSO staff, about $700 per workbook, about $1300 for books with more pages, including the BRB, multiplied by the cost of each translation
Resources/Implementation: To implement this proposal, if passed, requires a simple change in sequence of producing literature.
● For Annual Business Conference delegates and/or Intergroups and Regions to review complete manuscripts for a period of six months to one year, the WSO IT staff would e-mail them the initial draft, or a link to it.
● The delegates and groups will submit suggested changes to the WSO Literature Committee.
● Suggestions will be sent to the authors to consider for their final draft.
● Authors would resubmit this final draft to the WSO Literature Committee.
● If the WSO Literature Committee and then the WSO Board approve any changes, the IT staff will then distribute to the fellowship the final draft or publish the links on the website for fellowship consideration for at least six months before balloting.
● The WSO Literature Committee would submit a proposal to approve the final draft through the ABC ballot process.
● If the proposal is passed, this will be discussed at the next ABC.
● Delegates at the ABC would vote as to whether to confer “Conference Approval” of the final document. This process of getting Conference approval of literature before publishing incurs no costs and would save thousands of dollars. No originally published books would have to be sold at discounted prices or thrown away. Substantial time and money would be saved when translations would not have to be redone.
WSO Analysis: Factors to Consider: Simplified Clarification on the Fellowship Review Process and Costs The Fellowship Review process is designed to be inclusive and cost-effective. Members can read and provide feedback on a book through a controlled online feedback form during this three-year process. This allows:
● Firsthand Use: Members gain direct experience with the content.
● Meaningful Feedback: Suggestions and insights from members are gathered for consideration.
Skipping the Fellowship Review and bringing a book directly to the Annual Business Conference (ABC) for approval could result in a decision without most members having read the material. This limits thorough evaluation and broad member participation. Currently, only 5% of groups send delegates to the ABC, highlighting the importance of Fellowship Review for inclusivity. Role of Translation Teams in the Fellowship Review Translation teams play an important role during Fellowship Review. Translating materials at this stage gives them early access to recovery resources and aligns their work with ACA principles. For example, during the Loving Parent Guidebook (LPG) review, translation teams worked closely with the draft content. After Conference approval, a summary of changes is shared, enabling translators to update their versions for consistency and accuracy. Handling Outdated Literature and Reducing Waste The office carefully times book orders to minimize waste. When literature becomes outdated, the ACA WSO repurposes it by donating to institutions, shelters, or groups in need. This ensures the materials continue to support recovery efforts while reflecting ACA WSO’s commitment to resourcefulness and inclusivity.
Reference Links:
Find References linked at the end of the proposal at the ‘clickable links to the Ballot’, at the Ballot Prep Committee webpage at acawso.org/bpc