The Growth of the Scholarly Publishing Industry in the U.S.

A Business History of a Changing Marketplace, 1939–1946

Albert N. Greco

• Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9783319995489
• eBook ISBN:
  9783319995496
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Marketing
• Index: Business

This book analyzes the dynamic growth of the scholarly publishing industry in the United States during 1939-1946, a critical period in the business history of scholarly publications in STM and the humanities and the social sciences. It explains how the key publishing players positioned themselves to take advantage of the war economy and how they used different business and marketing strategies to create the market and demand for scholarly publications. Not only did the atomic threat necessitate a surge in scholarly research, but at the same time scholarly publishing managers prepared for the dramatic shift by anticipating the potential impact of the GI Bill on higher education, creating superb printed products, and by becoming the brand, the source of knowledge and information. The creation of strategic business units and value chains as well as the development of marketing targeting strategies resulted in brand loyalty to certain publishers and publications but also accelerated thegrowth of the US scholarly publishing industry. Business historians and marketing professors interested in the business strategies of scholarly publishers during World War II will find this book to be a valuable resource.

© The Author(s) 2019

Albert N. GrecoThe Growth of the Scholarly Publishing Industry in the U.S.https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99549-6_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction to Scholarly Journal and Book Publishing in the U.S.

State of Scholarly Publishing Today

Albert N. Greco¹

(1)

Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA

Albert N. Greco

Abstract

Academics, researchers, and students have access to a tremendous number of scholarly books, journals, preprints, and research depositories as well as a highly developed public and academic library system, and the U.S. produces more scholarly publications than any other nation. How did the U.S. become the dominant center of scholarly publishing? This chapter outlines the current state of scholarly publishing, key issues related to higher education’s emphasis on “publish or perish,” and the eight major developments that transformed scholarly publishing in the U.S.

Keywords

Academic librariesGrowth in number of scholarly booksGrowth in number of scholarly journalsHigher education in the U.S.Scholarly book pricesScholarly journal prices

End Abstract

Today, the majority of U.S.-based academics and researchers have access to a vast number of scholarly books and scholarly journals.¹ How big is this scholarly communications industry?

Yankee Book Peddler (YBP) tracks the publication of new printed books with ISBN numbers in three major categories: (1) scientific, technical, and medical (STM); (2) the humanities and the social sciences (HSS ); and (3) legal, tax, and regulatory (LTR). Jaclyn Simson and Albert N. Greco analyzed YBP book prices. They discovered that in 2012, university presses (e.g., Stanford University Press) published 11,995 new scholarly books and commercial scholarly publishers (e.g., Palgrave Macmillan) released 53,047 new titles, for a total of 65,042 scholarly books. By 2016, university presses increased their output to 12,253, and the commercial scholarly publishers kept pace posting 54,354, for a total of 66,607 books (+3.11 percent).² This meant that in 2016, university presses and commercial scholarly publishers released 181.99 new books every day of the year, or 7.58 books every hour of the day, including weekends and holidays.

The average suggested retail price (SRP) for scholarly books varied dramatically between titles released by university presses and commercial scholarly publishers. In 2012, university presses generated an average of $62.63 while the commercial publishers generated an average of $88.11. By 2016, university presses inched up to an average of $65.44. The average for commercial scholarly books stood at $97.51. Table 1.1 has the details. Simson and Greco reported that in 2016, the average price for a philosophy book released by a university press had an SRP of $73.75 versus $111.03 from a commercial publisher. This pricing disparity was evident in most academic book categories, including psychology (university press, $70.07; commercial publisher, $100.91); economics (university press, $71.96; commercial publisher, $126.22); and physics (university press, $76.47; commercial publisher, $132.00).³ Of course, books are often sold at a discount; but the SRP is a useful barometer of book prices.

Table 1.1

University presses and commercial scholarly publishers’ new title output and average suggested price per title: 2012–2016 ($U.S.)

Year	New title output			Average suggested price per title
	University presses	Commercial scholarly publishers	Total	University presses	Commercial scholarly publishers
2012	11,995	53,047	65,042	$62.63	$88.11
2013	11,680	52,999	64,679	$64.31	$92.68
2014	11,791	54,831	66,622	$72.96	$93.80
2015	12,056	52,540	64,596	$86.06	$96.74
2016	12,253	54,354	66,607	$65.44	$97.51

Source: Jaclyn Simson and Albert N. Greco. “The Price and New Title Output of Scholarly Books: 2009–2016,” Publishing Research Quarterly 34, 2 (June 2018): 218–232

N.B. The average SRP for a university press book varies annually due to a variety of factors, including subventions; number of pages; illustrations; black and white or color photographs; the length of the print run; the cost of printing, paper, and binding (PPB ) in the U.S. or abroad; warehousing; distribution; and so on

Scholarly book revenues varied annually, and university presses lagged behind their commercial competitors. The Association of American Publishers (AAP; the national book industry trade association) tracks most, but not all, university press annual net revenue totals (i.e., gross sales minus returns equals net publisher revenues) for printed books, digital books, and for the sale of printed digital book chapters. The totals for 2013–2017 for university presses were as follows in billions of dollars: 2013, $0.30; 2014, $0.30; 2015, $0.29; 2016, $0.29; and 2017, $0.29. AAP tallies for scholarly professional books were as follows: 2013, $2.97; 2014, $3.09; 2015, $3.05; 2016, $2.97; and 2017, $2.35.⁴

The State of Scholarly Journals Today

While many scholarly journals are available as printed publications, a sizable number of publishers (e.g., Springer Nature) moved into digital publication and distribution to control costs for printing, paper, and binding (PPB), storage, and distribution expenses.

Today academics and researchers in the U.S. have access to +28,100 peer-reviewed English language journals (print and digital), +6450 non-English peer-reviewed journals (print and...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction to Scholarly Journal and Book Publishing in the U.S.
• 2. The Impact of the Depression and Nuclear Research on Universities, Research, and Scholarly Publishing: 1929–1941
• 3. The Impact of World War II on American Society and Scholarly Publishing: December 7, 1941–1942
• 4. The War and Its Impact on Research: 1943–1945
• 5. 1946: A Turning Point in the Growth of Scholarly Publishing
• Back Matter