An Open Letter to the AAUP: Faculty Authors and “Full Freedom in Publication”
In 1940, the AAUP published a Statement on Academic Freedom. In 2018, it’s time for it to be updated–and some items clarified.
Ask The Chefs: How Can We Increase Diversity In Scholarly Communications?
Why is increasing diversity in scholarly communications seemingly so difficult? What should we be doing differently?
How Does the University Press Remain Relevant?
The university press world is ruminating on its relevance in a broader community that does not always show strong report for press activity. Different presses have identified a number of approaches to the problem of increasing relevance.
The Business Model is a Community Affair
Drawing on a presentation from the recent AAUP annual conference, this post argues that the business of publishing scholarly books requires reciprocal arrangements among many publishers. This system is undermined by free riders.
Announcing a University Press Research Project
This is an announcement of a university press research project, which includes a link to a survey we hope every book publisher will fill out. The project is sponsored by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The focus is on how university presses can sell books, both print and digital, directly from their Web sites. The project report will cover current practices and recommend courses of action.
Disrupting the Faculty: The Changing Face of the College Textbook Business
The college textbook business is being disrupted, but not by outsiders. The publishers themselves are restructuring the industry. One consequence of this may be diminished prerogatives for instructors in their choice of classroom texts.
Short-form Publishing — A New Content Category, Courtesy of the Internet
The publication of short works opens up new opportunities for academic publishers that heretofore have had to choose between the forms of the article on one hand and the full-length book on the other.
Presentations on PDA from the AAUP Conference, 2012
PDA as presented to the AAUP. Slides from Joe Esposito and Rick Anderson. Enjoy!
Setting the Agenda: Key Issues for Scholarly Publishing
What are the key issues for scholarly publishing today? Setting the agenda for productive discussion.
Creating a New University Press
The university press world is well established, but it is worth considering how one would go about a new press today. The key is not to do what the established presses do already, and do very well.
The New Economics of the University Press — A Report from the AAUP
A report by the AAUP outlines the business models available to university presses and makes a case for ongoing subsidies by parent institutions.
Stage Five Book Publishing — How to Go Beyond “Sustainability” and Into “Viability”
Book publishing is evolving in stages, and when we get to Stage Five, where books are sold on a subscription basis, the fortunes of scholarly publishers will improve dramatically.