From: Greg Britton <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2017 15:51:30 +0000

Dear Jim:

Thanks for your kind comments. I read this forum similarly—university
presses have become vibrant and diverse places that are both
collaborative and entrepreneurial. There may be more of them now than
at any time in our history. That’s not to downplay the very real
threats we face, but something is, indeed, working.

Now, I’m off to the annual meeting of the Assoc. of American
University Presses this week. It may be the most collaborative group
I’ve ever belonged to. That generous impulse is part of what UP’s are
doing right.

Best,
Greg Britton

Gregory Britton : Editorial Director : Johns Hopkins University Press
2715 North Charles Street : Baltimore, MD 21218 : 410.516.6919
www.press.jhu.edu  :  Twitter: @gmbritton



From: "Jim O'Donnell" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Thu, 8 Jun 2017 09:10:29 -0700

The Chronicle of Higher Education today has results of an extensive
survey of University Press leaders and others on the vexed future of
that community.  The following link takes you to the landing page for
the feature, but that comprises only a list of links to sub-topics,
most of which are paywalled.  Worth an exploration if you have access.
Their introduction:  "We asked publishers, press directors, editors,
scholars, and other insiders for their views on the state and future
of academic publishing. Of the people we contacted, including the
heads of nearly every one of the Association of American University
Presses’ 143 members, 46 sent back responses to our questions. We got
back a surprisingly wide range of views — and good ideas on how
university presses are preparing for an uncertain future."

At the end of a quarter century of attending meetings and reading
articles discussing the crisis in University Press publishing, I
observe that for there to be still 143 players standing in that space
suggests that something is working.  There must be some smart people
doing some good work.

Jim O'Donnell

ASU