Distribution Evolution

Future plans may include packaging together the online versions of the style manual and Kate Turabian’s “A Manual for Writers,” as well as making the site “more dynamic” by incorporating XML workflow applications, Kiely says.

Looking Toward the Future
On the distribution side, Weinkle sees e-books becoming more important, but also expects customized course materials (where people can identify parts of books and quickly create course packs) to play a bigger role.

The future, Kiely believes, lies in leveraging the strength of the UCP’s relationship with the academic community, both at the University of Chicago and elsewhere, to build on its status as a key driver of intellectual and technological trends, all while becoming ever more secure financially.

“People want to work at a place that furthers academic curiosity, but also sells well,” Kiely points out. “I don’t want to be viewed as a dusty, little place that makes books. [We feel a] connection with the wider issues the [academe] and society are grappling with. We are [a] part of discussion on copyright and Google, and find it’s relatively easy to just reach out [to others in the university environment] to have that conversation.

“The press has a history of experimental thinking, of being willing to try things and make sure the University of Chicago extends that tradition,” Kiely says.