The “M” in STM Publishing
A new report from Simba Information analyzes the medical publishing segment, identifying the key companies and industry trends.
Are US Taxpayers the Primary Beneficiaries of the NIH Public Access Policy?
New evidence suggests that US taxpayers are not the major beneficiaries of the NIH Public Access Policy, and that even within the NIH, there has been some unease about the situation.
Book Review — "The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths"
A new book about the role of governments in long-term R&D and market-creation functions should send shockwaves through the political system over the coming decades. Fortunately, you can read it now.
An Industry Pining for Bookstores
Publishing does not take place in a vacuum but in an ecosystem. The book business is changing not because of a preference for digital books but because physical bookstores are being removed from the ecosystem.
Open Access and Professional Societies
Let’s imagine that open access publishing becomes the norm. What will the implications be? One implication is that it will likely create significant pressure on professional societies, which will seek new business arrangements to augment their income and keep their society together.
Jaron Lanier Discusses Power Laws, Centralized Publishing, and the Social Perils of Free Information
An interview in IEEE Spectrum with Jaron Lanier touches on the perils of free information, including shrinking the information economy, creating a few powerful players, and providing the government free tools of power.
Dissertation Embargoes and the Rights of Scholars: AHA Smacks the Hornet's Nest
A recent statement by the American Historical Association is generating heated debate about the rights and best interests of junior scholars, the market dynamics for scholarly monographs, and the competing needs of publishers, libraries, authors, and readers.
The New Gatekeepers are Economists
Apple colluded with publishers to set prices on books, but the Department of Justice seems not to have noticed the growing market position of Amazon. At what point does a company that trades in cultural products become too big a piece of public discourse?
Another Perspective on Library-Press "Partnerships"
A response to Joe Esposito’s post last week about partnerships between libraries and university presses.
Google Wins One: No Class Status for Authors Guild
Google wins an appeal on class status for the Authors Guild lawsuit. This decision may have far-reaching effects on the case and fair use principles.
An Interview with Bob Weinschenk, CEO of SIPX
SIPX aims to simplify digital rights management for end users – faculty and students – while at the same time making life easier for the publishers and purchasers of the content
Having Relations with the Library: A Guide for University Presses
Libraries and university presses are often asked to collaborate with one another; in some instances presses are put into library organizations. It is not clear why. The functions of publishers and libraries are very different, making true partnerships difficult to achieve.
Why the Apple Ebook Ruling is a Loss for Publishers, Authors, and Readers
Yesterday federal judge Denise L. Cote, of United States District Court in Manhattan, ruled against Apple in the United States vs. Apple Inc., et. al. ebook case. Anyone who thinks this isn’t a terrible outcome for publishers, authors, and readers, isn’t paying attention.
What Happens When the Marginal Cost of Content is No Longer Zero?
The marginal cost of content may not always be zero as changes in telecommunications strategy and practices affect the cost of bandwidth for producers. Publishing services based on free content may be challenged by this.
On the Likelihood of Academia "Taking Back" Scholarly Publishing
The question addressed here is not whether we in the academy should “take back publishing” from the commercial scholarly publishers, but rather what the options for doing so might be, and whether any of those options seems feasible at the moment.