Shrinking Library Market Poses Challenge to University Presses
[Second is] price sensitivity. Accounts due falling over 120 days, high rates of returns, dependency on a few decision-makers.
[Third], the growth of online retailing. In many ways Amazon and its counterparts have been a real boon to speciality publishers like university presses, as they have become a place where readers can find books that retailers might not carry. This positive aspect of online retailers is coupled with an unintended consequence, though, and that is the demand for information in specific digital forms. University presses do not have the resources to create jobs for specialists to meet this demand, and getting the right information out there, in the right form, can be a struggle for us.
Matt Steinmetz is the publisher and brand director of Publishing Executive.