tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post291104177030440343..comments2023-11-02T23:06:45.962-07:00Comments on of Battlefields and Bibliophiles: "I dust a bit," Ignatius told the policeman."dwhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-58919590405168372282009-07-18T01:08:05.959-07:002009-07-18T01:08:05.959-07:00jmnlman,
You make a good point. The pricing form...jmnlman, <br /><br />You make a good point. The pricing formulas at some presses is something of a mystery. But many university presses compete very well with trade publishers, and have a presence in the major chains. I'm thinking of history titles by Oklahoma, California, Nebraska (Bison Books). <br /><br />dwdwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-44501407356471661622009-07-17T13:57:37.265-07:002009-07-17T13:57:37.265-07:00It's a sad commentary on our priorities in hig...It's a sad commentary on our priorities in higher education when football, and not education, is considered almighty. I know it's been like that for years and will continue to be that way. <br /><br />Part of the problem as I see is that most university press titles are too narrow for the average reader. In many cases the 4 line title with 2 colons and a semi colon is enough to drive even the most loyal reader away. Price is of course another issue, though most university press books are much better made than the average trade book. University presses need to figure out a better marketing plan and way to get their books in front of people. With B&N seeming to pull back on titles at most locations and Wal-Mart being a leading bookseller this will not be easy. If a reader doesn't know the book is out there they definitely won't buy it. <br /><br />On a lighter note, I loved the Confederacy of Dunces references. This is possibly my all time favorite book so thank God for university presses and Walker Percy for seeing it through to publication. It is a true work of genius.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-21399871960222074522009-07-17T13:09:16.297-07:002009-07-17T13:09:16.297-07:00Roberta,
Thanks for the comment. You're refer...Roberta,<br /><br />Thanks for the comment. You're referring to this essay? http://www.aaupnet.org/news/about.html <br /><br />Did your husband's tenure as Director take in the four Pulitzer's? Whatever the years, he oversaw the release of some spectacular books. Twenty-eight years is an impressive stint. I'm sure he must have gotten great satisfaction from his work.<br /><br />Daviddwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-1996490721799561802009-07-17T12:46:03.770-07:002009-07-17T12:46:03.770-07:00Alan,
Thanks for the comments. You're right i...Alan,<br /><br />Thanks for the comments. You're right in that the flip-side of the coin means that presses flexible enough to adjust actually have more options rather than fewer (with the changing technologies, and marketplace). But I think many of these staid presses are set in their ways, or are bureaucratically incapable of rolling out new workflows, or new strategies, in short order. The shifts have been evident for a couple decades, and those that have been changing all along will no doubt make out better.dwhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01748726942956990159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-16579596952863734912009-07-17T11:49:45.582-07:002009-07-17T11:49:45.582-07:00Unfortunate definitely but it also needs to be rem...Unfortunate definitely but it also needs to be remembered that some of these wounds have been self inflicted. The refusal on the part of most academic publishers to accept that at least for some of their titles a retail market might actually exist. Where you get $70+ hardcovers and $30+ paperbacks it's a little hard to sell them except to other academic libraries.jmnlmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09008923879867238015noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-87715410652907612442009-07-17T09:30:45.090-07:002009-07-17T09:30:45.090-07:00Nice job. My late husband was director of the LSU...Nice job. My late husband was director of the LSU Press for 28 years and there were struggles for university press survival under his tenure. The AAUP still has his and Sheldon Myers' pammphlet "What is a University Press" on its web site. I wish a few more administrators would read it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03145158986670665513noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19295676.post-50915070545243202842009-07-17T06:00:11.118-07:002009-07-17T06:00:11.118-07:00Well said. It's actually getting easier to pub...Well said. It's actually getting easier to publish and print books, whether on-demand or otherwise, though the market for hard copies is shrinking. For a publisher that isn't simultaneously moribund and overextended (as many large publishers are), there's no good excuse for folding, really, unless they're simply looking for one. It just takes imagination.Alan Huffmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14973861788678190084noreply@blogger.com