Joseph Esposito, Author at The Scholarly Kitchen

Joseph J. Esposito is an independent management consultant providing strategic advice, operating analysis, and interim management in the area of digital media to both publishing and software companies. Mr. Esposito’s clients are equally divided between the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Over the course of his career, Mr. Esposito has worked for a number of companies, including positions as CEO of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Tribal Voice, and SRI Consulting, all of which he led to successful exits. He writes extensively on digital media, and has been awarded research grants from the Hewlett, MacArthur, and Mellon Foundations. Mr. Esposito is not related to the famous “Joe Esposito,” Elvis Presley’s former road manager.

Articles by Joseph Esposito

Revisiting: How Traditional Publishing Works

Revisiting a 2018 primer on the business side of publishing. The defining property of traditional publishing is editorial selection. That is what publishing is about.

When Consolidation Provides Benefits as well as Market Power

Acquisitions are always designed to benefit business owners, sometimes at the expense of customers. But , as Joe Esposito and Roger Schonfeld argue, acquisitions can provide benefits to customers and end-users as well.

Revisiting: Theory of the E-book

Joe Esposito revisits his 2012 post on the unstated theory of the e-book, which assumes that a book consists only of its text and can be manipulated without regard to the nature and circumstances of its creation. This is only one theory of many, but it is now the prevailing one.

Popularizing Cosmology: The Example of Katie Mack

It also can be something of a trap for a well-intentioned academic who wants to write for this audience, as writing for the lay person is often contemptuously dismissed as “popularization.” Woe to the academic who puts an article from The Atlantic or a book from Simon & Schuster into her tenure portfolio! It takes courage. My view is that these brave souls should be called out and celebrated. They are my heroes.

Revisiting: Governance and the Not-for-profit Publisher

How can not-for-profit organizations outcompete their commercial rivals? Revisiting Joe Esposito’s 2011 post that lays out a blueprint for success.

Chef’s Selections: Best Books Read (and more!) During 2020, Part 1

The beginning of the holiday season means it’s time for our annual list of our favorite books read during the year (and more!). Part 1 today, Part 2 tomorrow.

A World Elsewhere: PLOS’s Community Action Publishing Model

Can community-action publishing prove to be a viable alternative to market-based publishing?

The 360° Competitor

The defining aspect of such an organization is that it operates as an industry nexus.

Revisiting: Cooperstown, Ground Zero for Altmetrics

A look back at 2014’s discussion of measuring the immeasurable.

Good vs. Evil? Finding the Right Mix of For-Profit and Not-for-Profit Services

Today, Joe and Roger analyze the variety of firms to which the academy can outsource scholarly communication and adjacent priorities: consortia, societies, and commercial enterprises.