The Market Demand for University Press Books 2008–15

Abstract

This article analyzes important US university press net publishers' revenue and net publishers' unit datasets and e-book revenues for 2008–9. Data for net publishers' revenues, net publishers' units, and digital e-book revenues for higher education textbooks, professional and scholarly books, and consumer e-books were also evaluated covering the years 2008–9. Drawing on important economic data projections and the publicly available competitive print and digital strategies crafted by competitors in the consumer, higher education, and professional and scholarly sectors, the authors develop net publishers' revenue and unit projections for all of these book categories for 2010–15. The university press data sets reveal unsettling declines in revenues and units for 2008–2015. Addressing these declines, the authors conclude with a brief series of recommendations, including the rapid adoption of a digital 'e-book' business model in order to reposition the presses in what is becoming a digital book marketplace.

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