The University of Chicago Press evolved a digital content distribution strategy that not only manages its own content, but services other university presses as well.

By James Sturdivant

The University of Chicago Press (UCP) has never had to regard itself as an afterthought. Founded in 1891 as one of the three original divisions of the university, the press has, from the beginning, been squarely in the center of the school’s mission to educate, advocate and innovate—a charge that continues to this day.

In addition, it’s of more than passing interest to the press’s leadership that it is entirely self-supporting, even funding a few research grants at the school.

“I’m unabashedly proud of the fact that our books are aimed at a shrinking audience and that we make money off them,” says Garrett Kiely, a 20-year industry veteran who came on as the UCP’s 15th director in September 2007. Kiely arrived after an eight-year stint as president of Palgrave Macmillan, where he oversaw e-book conversion projects and other pioneering digital initiatives for a division focused on scholarly and reference titles.

Such experience is crucial to the press’s innovative strategy for content distribution. The press offers print-on-demand and digital distribution to a range of academic publishers through its Chicago Distribution Services, positioning itself as the entity best able to serve the needs of noncommercial academic publishers.

“We provide a very good service,” Kiely says. “Random House does the best trade distribution, and Chicago is the best university distributor. That’s pretty good company to be in.”

Kiely joined UCP during a period of significant transition. An Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant used to set up a digital file-storage and short-run printing service for other presses ran out last year, leading to its conversion to a pay model.

“Naturally, we worried about losing [customers], but actually we only lost a couple of presses,” he notes. “We offer fair pricing. We view ourselves as a service provider.”

Such an approach is well-suited to serve nonprofit publishers, according to Jeanne Weinkle, manager of the Chicago Digital Distribution Center (CDDC), which along with BiblioVault, a digital content repository, operates under the umbrella of Chicago Distribution Services.

Insights at a Glance
from Garrett Kiely, director, University of Chicago Press (UCP)

Best management tactic: I’m working to ensure that management’s motivations are transparent. Everyone in the organization should have an understanding of not only what the press management is doing, but why it is doing it. This understanding empowers people to think and act creatively.

Biggest challenge as director: Understanding and working with the culture of the press and the university, getting to know an active backlist that includes material that has been in print since the late 19th century, and dealing with the realization that I can’t run across the street to my old deli on Fifth Avenue.

Keeps you up at night: The rapidly changing landscape of scholarly communications, including open access, digital distribution and the role of the university press in this world. As the largest American university press, Chicago has an obligation to play a leading role in this arena, and I am committed to doing so.

Currently most focused on: Making sure that the press employs technology in the best way possible to serve our customers, the international academic community and the information needs of our staff.

UCP’s biggest strength: A rock-solid commitment to disseminating the highest-quality information. This suffuses all of our activities: from book and journal acquisition through editing, production, sales, marketing and distribution. This focus on our mission has been what has impressed me most in my fi rst months in the job.

Fastest-growing product or segment: All areas of the press will achieve record or near-record sales growth in fi scal 2008. We’re excited about many of our books that have reached a wider audience as well as our expanding journals portfolio. Our distribution center continues to expand, and provides the highest-quality service. In addition to supporting the many technology changes we have made in our journals division, we will also be expanding our other digital offerings. Finally, we are well into the revisions to our fl agship publication, the “Chicago Manual of Style.” The 16th edition will publish in print and online—simultaneously for the fi rst time—in 2010.

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