“We’re seeing a boom in nonfiction, regional, and poetry sales—and those are three areas that University presses focus on and excel at.”
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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Late last week, the University Press of New England announced plans to close at the year’s end. Founded in 1970, the Lebanon, N.H.-based press employs 25 staff and distributes scholarly and popular titles for Dartmouth College and Brandeis University. At one time, the consortium included presses from schools in all New England states.
“This closure has generated a wave of headlines that portray university press publishing as particularly embattled,” reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer. “A closer look at the facts suggests that the reality is a little more complicated.”
According to Albanese, sales figures reported by the Association of American Publishers show university press sales for the first 11 months of 2017 rose five percent over the previous year.
“That’s pretty strong,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally. “We’re seeing a boom in nonfiction, regional, and poetry sales—and those are three areas that University presses focus on and excel at.”
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
