The Promotion and Placement of Scholarly Journals

Since at least the 1980s, there have been significant changes in the marketing of scholarly journals utilized by the majority of scholarly publishers. This shift meant that traditional advertising (which was very effective for many decades) and direct mail pieces (which were rather ineffective because of 1.5% to 2.0% response rates) were de-emphasized but not eliminated completely. They were supplanted somewhat by the growing use of social media and emails. This chapter provides an overview of print and digital journal distribution strategies, procedures, and platforms. Attention is paid to the US and global journal markets and subscriptions, including data on library expenditures. A sample journal’s contract with an author is presented and analyzed. There is a discussion of Sci-Hub, open access, article processing charges, the development of Plan S and Plan U, and research funding policies.

Managing in Turbulent Times

Faculty members and researchers live and work in a highly structured and in many ways an inflexible world of “publish or perish.” To obtain tenure and promotion or research grants, an academic has to produce high-impact scholarly publications, which can vary significantly from one institution to another and from one academic field to another. This chapter addresses the changing scholarly book environment and competition to university presses from commercial publishers seeking scale. A list of marketing strategies is presented stressing the need to understand the bargaining power of suppliers and customers; a need for focus in the marketplace; and the possibility of affinity clusters, audiobooks, “short” books, and selling book chapters to address market slippage. Detailed statistical data is presented.

The Product and Pricing of Scholarly Books

Scholarly book publishing and printing has a long tradition, starting with Oxford University Press (1478) and Cambridge University Press (1584). The American colonies, and later the United States, lived in the shadow of these two great presses. While many of the US presses today are quite large, with global operations, they were, in the late 19th century and the early years of the 20th century, far from the professional operations of today. This chapter gives an introduction to book history in the United Kingdom and the United States with an emphasis on university presses and competition from commercial publishers for authors, readers, and sales. It provides a review of substantive market drivers, revenues, new title output, and production costs. A sample book contract and profit and loss statement (for a hardcover and digital book) are presented and analyzed.

The Changing World of Scholarly Books

Digital scholarly book technologies, especially print-on-demand (POD), directly impacted authors, readers, libraries, and publishers. It was possible to significantly reduce traditional lithographic (often called litho, offset, or photo-offset) print runs and rely on small runs, which were more likely to be sold, and then utilize POD for additional sales. This chapter addresses the impact of technological changes on print and digital scholarly books, including patron-driven access, and the impact on academic library collection development and electronic reserves. Attention is paid to the movement for open access scholarly books, libraries publishing academic books, and the growing threats and costs of book piracy to publishers, including Sci-Hub. Scholarly book revenues are presented and discussed.

The Product and Pricing of Scholarly Journals

In the last 350-plus years, as various fields of academic research developed and grew, the need for high-quality scholarly journals emerged to transmit the latest scientific discoveries and theories. This allowed scholarly journals to gain the preeminent foothold in scientific academic and research centers. Ironically, the birth of the modern scholarly journal had a rather unusual and unplanned history. This chapter provides an overview of the history and development of print and digital scholarly journals, including the gold open access movement. Attention is paid to the roles played by university presses, learned societies, libraries, and commercial scholarly publishers. Financial issues are addressed, including a detailed sample profit and loss (P&L) statement.

The Changing Environment for Scholarly Publishing

The importance of the publishing and dissemination of scholarly books and journals remains secure since this process is pivotal to the life blood of academic research. However, the process of scholarly publishing and dissemination in the United States has undergone a series of major substantive developments that have, in many instances, improved the quality and dissemination of content and, in a few cases, impacted negatively on this ecosystem. This chapter provides an analysis of key developments in the scholarly publishing sector, including growth in the number of US colleges and the impact on scholarly publishing output and libraries; concentration in the commercial publishing industry; and changes in both industry employment (and diversity) and the number of bookstores.