University Press marks a milestone
The press has remained stable and financially independent thanks to unique collaborative arrangement
valhart@admin.rochester.edu
The University of Rochester Press is celebrating its 20th year of operation, thriving today as a small, traditional scholarly publisher with unique and innovative roots.
Established in 1989, the press has defined its niche in academic publishing with 25 to 30 new books each year in select disciplines—many, like music and medical history, reflecting the University’s strengths. Today, the press offers internships in its editorial and production departments to Rochester students, and its staff serves as a resource to University faculty who have questions about book publishing: negotiating contracts, crafting proposals, and navigating the production process. “It has been a great joy for me to see it all come together,” says Provost Emeritus Brian Thompson, who founded the press.
When looking to start a university press in the context of cost restraints, Thompson explored a suggestion from English department faculty members Tom Hahn and Russell Peck to contact Boydell & Brewer, a privately owned academic publisher in Great Britain who was at the time seeking a U.S. partner. A strategic arrangement was struck—the University would retain editorial control, while Boydell & Brewer would provide book production, marketing, and worldwide distribution—and the fledgling press was launched.
According to Suzanne Guiod, editorial director of the press, having a business partner that respects the press’s editorial autonomy has been a great advantage. While many presses face perennial financial problems (this year alone, two major American university presses were threatened with closure) the press has remained stable and financially independent thanks to its unique collaborative arrangement.
Over the past 20 years, the press has produced more than 400 scholarly titles, many in distinguished series such as the Eastman Studies in Music series, edited by Eastman School Professor of Musicology Ralph Locke; and the Rochester Studies in Medical History series, edited by Theodore Brown, professor in the Departments of History and Community and Preventive Medicine. Other book series in African diaspora studies, East and Central Europe, philosophy, early modern Europe, gender and race in American history, and ethnomusicology round out the Press’s list.
In addition to traditional offset printing, the press makes use of digital printing and print-on-demand technologies to keep older books in print indefinitely and to make reasonably priced paperbacks available for course use. Most of its titles are available as e-books through NetLibrary and other aggregators.
Over the years, the press’s publications have received favorable reviews in academic journals and trade publications. In 2008, the press was accepted as an introductory member of the Association for American University Presses. For more about the press, visit its Web site, www.urpress.com.
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