News: Academic Publishing Weekly

Year-end lists begin to roll out, higher ed sales slump, and ACLS adds a member

Posted on November 24, 2021 in News

By Choice Staff

Year-End Favorites from the Kitchen

It never gets old. Every year around this time the “best of” lists arrive, counting down the top-selling, favorite, or otherwise breakthrough titles of the past 12 months. With its special twist on the tradition, scholarly publishing blog The Scholarly Kitchen has published its two-part list of books, albums, and other cultural observations from its collective of “chef” contributors who provide their uniquely personal and heartfelt recommendations. [Part 1 and Part 2]

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But Wait, There’s More…

Adding to The Kitchen’s list, we’ve got more from NPR, the New York Times, and the New York Public Library. All three outlets provide nifty interactive interfaces to their lists and the NYPL, as expected, assembled its extensive list from selection committees throughout its system. As we get closer to the end of the year, we anticipate featuring even more lists in APW, but given who reads this newsletter we’re pretty confident that’s a good thing.

In the short term, I want my stakeholders—my suppliers, customers, and employees— to be successful. I want a seamless transition from Follett Corporation. That is my short-term goal, for my customers to feel successful and face no disruption; my publishers to feel connected, powerful; and my employees to have no internal disruptions through this process.

Amandeep Kochar

New Directions for B&T

A few weeks ago, US book distributor Baker & Taylor made headlines with its division from parent company Follett (“B&T Spreads Its Wings”). This week, the new owner of B&T—and current president and CEO—Amandeep Kochar discussed his new role and future plans for the company. Kochar reveals how the deal came about, current supply chain issues, B&T’s relationship with library partners, and plans to expand upon existing distribution services. How long will the transition take? Why is communication between publishers, distributors, and libraries so important? How can libraries make the most of their budgets before the end of the year?  [Library Journal]

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Higher Ed Summer Slump Continues

Earlier this month, the Association of American Publishers released disappointing reports for July and August sales of higher ed materials (“Higher Education Sales Stumble in Summer 2021”); unfortunately, the trend continued into September. Despite education sales as a whole increasing 5 percent in September 2021 compared to September 2020, revenue from higher education materials fell by 8 percent. The year-to-date results were less bleak, with only a modest loss of 0.5 percent. Will the higher ed sector bounce back in the Spring 2022 semester? [Association of American Publishers]  

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Strength in Numbers

The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) announced it has added AUPresses to its roster as an affiliate member. The agreement formalizes AUPresses’ relationship with ACLS, allowing both organizations to work more closely to provide information and content to their respective communities. As the announcement states, these agreements tend to arise when “goals and purposes are so closely linked…that a formal connection is desirable for both parties.” [American Council of Learned Societies]

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