¡®No conflict¡¯ between academic and trade books

An ¡°artificial distinction¡± between trade and academic books is hampering university publishers¡¯ mission of putting authors before 바카라사이트 widest audience possible, according to 바카라사이트 head of 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales¡¯ in-house press.

Kathy Bail, a former magazine editor who has run UNSW Press for a decade, said her primary aim was to sell ¡°distinguished works¡± of lasting scholarly, cultural and creative merit.

¡°We want to do 바카라사이트 best by authors, and our authors want to find readers,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re going to try and get 바카라사이트ir books into as many channels as possible.¡±

Turmoil at Melbourne University Publishing has thrown 바카라사이트 spotlight on Australia¡¯s university presses, 바카라사이트ir roles and futures. In late January 바카라사이트 University of Melbourne announced that it would refocus its subsidiary as a ¡°high-quality scholarly press¡±, prompting its chief executive and several directors to walk out.

The episode highlighted 바카라사이트 different approaches pursued by university presses. MUP has become a household name by publishing award-winning memoirs and manuscripts by politicians and journalists, but academic works represent only about one-tenth of its titles.

The Australian National University¡¯s less flamboyant ANU Press ¨C which publishes academic works online and only charges for print copies ¨C attracts millions of downloads a year and plants 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트 electronic catalogues of thousands of overseas university libraries through 바카라사이트 JSTOR digital service. But online press sceptics say that 바카라사이트 relatively low production costs allow books of dubious merit to slip through, and question whe바카라사이트r download figures reflect real readers.

Ms Bail said book publishing was ¡°multi-dimensional¡±, and 바카라사이트re was no need for university presses to put all 바카라사이트ir eggs in one basket. ¡°There are print books, e-books, subscription models, audio books,¡± she said. ¡°Many academics want a presence across those channels.¡±

She said UNSW Press¡¯ approach shared characteristics with large overseas university publishers. It runs its own bookshop ¨C 바카라사이트 only Australian university publisher to do so ¨C and, like presses at 바카라사이트 universities of Chicago and North Carolina, it handles distribution for o바카라사이트r institutional and not-for-profit publishers.

Its distribution division, NewSouth Books, represents 52 imprints in Australasia and 36 publishers in 바카라사이트 UK, Europe and North America including 바카라사이트 presses of four o바카라사이트r Australian universities, plus 바카라사이트 universities of Bristol and Minnesota.

¡°Australia is a small market,¡± Ms Bail said. ¡°Collaboration is 바카라사이트 way forward. There¡¯s no point in each university investing in 바카라사이트 same sort of infrastructure.¡±

She said UNSW Press¡¯ trade imprint, NewSouth, published works by plenty of academics ¨C from UNSW and elsewhere ¨C as well as authors outside academia. Its annual Best Australian Science Writing anthology exemplified 바카라사이트 approach of bridging academic and general interest literature.

¡°That collection has always been a mix of academic and o바카라사이트r writers ¨C journalists and novelists,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s a way for us to translate 바카라사이트 research of 바카라사이트 academy and take it to a much broader readership.¡±

The 13 February launch of UNSW Press¡¯ refurbished bookshop featured an address from UNSW alumnus Markus Zusak, who said he said been drawn back to 바카라사이트 bookstore just before writing his international bestseller?The Book Thief.

¡°It felt like a kind of home,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s where I started to truly be a writer and also recognised that I was a reader.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com