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This article discusses the current state and future trends of academic publishing in university presses. It covers topics such as the dominance of journals, the growth of Open Access, challenges faced by publishers, the role of university presses in the market, and the opportunities and threats in the industry.
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University presses in the international environment Angus Phillips Director Oxford International Centre for Publishing
Outline Academic publishing The place of university presses Mission and brand Future
Academic publishing Journals Monographs Textbooks
Journals publishing Sector favours scale Platform High fixed costs High levels of profitability
Journals Dominate library budgets 76% subscriptions; 9% OA charges (UK, PA 2017) Gone digital - 7% print only Growth of (OA) Open Access – approaching 30% of articles Sponsorship model Mega-journals Cascade journals Oxford International Centre for Publishing
Journals worldwide 33,100 peer reviewed journals in English language (STM, 2018) 2.5 m new articles each year Output of research papers – China 19%, USA 18%, India 5% and UK 4% Citations – USA 36%, China 18%, UK 11% (2014)
Book publishing Library budgets squeezed by journals Hard for publishers to make up revenue from digital whilst print continues to fall Concern over ebook pricing OA is coming to books OA: humanities not same resources of STM for gold; green OA with embargo sustainable?
Monographs in UK Decline in print runs – 200 copies the norm Four main players: Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, Routledge (Taylor & Francis) and Palgrave Macmillan 2,523 new titles were published by these four publishing houses in 2004 5,023 new titles in 2013 (Crossick, 2015) Reduction in costs – lower editorial costs, use of POD, no stock Placed in online platforms
Textbooks Consolidation in the market Large global players Smaller presses have accidental textbooks Five players have 80 per cent of US market Threats from rental, high prices New business models – e.g. rental, inclusive access Still preference for print
Other markets Academic trade Reference Schools market Language learning Global presence
University presses in UK OUP and CUP – 90+ per cent of market OUP - £840m (2018) CUP - £315m (2018) Other players – e.g. EUP (£3m) – much smaller but aim for sustainability
Brand • Advantages for those universities high in global rankings • Career advancement • Smaller presses may specialize around subjects prominent at their university
Mission OUP and CUP = university departments OUP mission ‘to support the university’s objective of excellence in research scholarship, and education’ Liverpool University Press (LUP) mission ‘to disseminate high quality scholarly research and to promote learning and culture through the publication of books and journals’
Case study – Liverpool University Press Stuck in cycle around needs of university Unsold stock Supply led publishing
New strategy Sort out governance issues – including editorial independence USPs – city, university, existing lists Avoid STM, professional publishing Selective approach to publishing: humanities, cultural studies, interdisciplinary Cultural flagship for city and university
New structures Sales and distribution Strategic partnerships – e.g. OUP and Cambridge Core Expansion of publishing – books and journals Acquisition of titles Pursuit of innovation
Climate has changed for university presses Open Access mandates Universities want cost-effective routes for OA publication OA broadens audience for research Support needed for early career research whilst established researchers will prefer brand journals The future for monographs is purely digital? OA textbooks
New university presses A number of new university presses launched in the UK in last 10 years Institutional goodwill in the light of the consolidation of academic publishing – open up new avenues and make research visible Repositories - often libraries are involved in new presses Digital publication – no stock OA route Low overheads
Opportunities Digital/print model Global distribution Collaboration POD Audio AI