News: Academic Publishing Weekly

Wiley goes all-in on Emerald, EBSCO and Kortext team up for perpetual access, and tips for ALA Annual

Posted on June 5, 2026 in News

Wiley Buys Emerald Publishing

The big news this week was the announcement that Wiley bought Emerald Publishing in an all-cash (!) deal for £337 million ($452 million). Included in the deal are almost 500 journals, about 8,000 books, and “an extensive archive of case studies and backfile content.” Wiley points out that the deal strengthens its holding in categories such as economics, business, finance, accounting, and management. Wiley’s journal portfolio now numbers about 2,500 titles. Investment firm Cambridge Information Group (CIG) bought Emerald Publishing in 2022. Terms of that acquisition were not released, so CIG’s return on this one is unclear. Nevertheless, Wiley says Emerald is expected to generate more than $85 million in revenue during its fiscal year ending December 31, 2026. 92% of that is recurring subscription revenue and 85% is generated outside of North America. Wiley also expects $30 million in run-rate savings by year three. Interestingly, Wiley points out that the deal will add to its AI content licensing business. The company has already reportedly signed licensing deals north of $100 million. “This transaction reflects our conviction that research and AI are mutually reinforcing: our proprietary content and data fuels AI, and AI accelerates the pace of publishing,” said Wiley president and CEO Matthew Kissner.

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Launches and Appointments

Digital Science announced it has added new AI functionality to its Symplectic Elements platform. The research information management system (RIM) enables users to quickly create structured records and generate faculty profiles with an AI-assisted CV import feature. The new functionality, says the company in its announcement, “supports the full range of academic and professional activities captured in Symplectic Elements, including publications, grants, teaching, committee service, and professional contributions.”

Springer Nature appointed Harmen van Paradijs as Executive Vice President, Books. van Paradijs was most recently Vice President STM Books Publishing and Books Business Optimization. He’ll now lead Springer’s books program. “Harmen’s deep understanding of our books business, combined with his proven track record of translating strategy into action, make him ideally placed to lead this important part of our portfolio,” says Harsh Jagadeesan, Springer Nature’s Chief Publishing Officer. For some perspective on van Paradijs’s publishing priorities, check out Choice’s interview with him on The Authority File Podcast.

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(Another) Acquisition and Kortext’s Catalogue Joins GOBI

Elsevier announced its acquisition of Wellsheet, a health technology company that “specializes in aggregating and synthesizing patient data from electronic health records (EHR) to surface relevant clinical intelligence at the point of care.” The partnership will combine Wellsheet’s EHR data model with Elsevier’s peer-reviewed, clinical evidence base to “bring patient‑specific guidance to the point of care.” Next, the catalogue of academic library supplier Kortext is now available in EBSCO’s GOBI Library Solutions. The move expands digital acquisition options for academic libraries, as the deal is for Kortext’s “extensive perpetual access eBook catalogue.” Remember last year when Clarivate announced plans to “phase out” perpetual purchases of digital collections? And EBSCO said, “not us!”? Seems like they’re keeping to their word.

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Impact of OMB’s Federal Financial Assistance Revisions on Research

Hilary Craiglow of higher education consulting firm Attain Partners digs into the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed revisions to Federal Financial Assistance. Writing for Scholarly Kitchen, Craiglow zeroes in on two provisions that would affect the coverage of journal subscriptions and article processing charges (APCs) under the allowable indirect cost (IDC) base—if anyone needs a translation, this basically means federal grants would no longer cover subscription and APC costs. Craiglow breaks down the revisions and what they mean for institutional funding, and the impact on libraries, publishers, and global research.

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UK Publishing Update, ALA Annual Tips, and Nonfiction Picks for June

The UK’s Publishers Association released its Publishing in 2025 report, sharing total revenues across mediums and genres. Looking at academic publishing, total revenue was up 5 percent last year to £3.7 billion; journal and book revenue both increased, up 7 percent and 1 percent, respectively. The report also highlights revenue in the education sector and consumer spending in print, digital, and audio formats. Moving along, who’s going to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Annual conference later this month? Whether it’s your first or 10th time, Library Journal passes on some expert Annual guidance. Know how to mingle, stop by vendors’ cocktail hours, and say hello to ALA staff members (Hi!). Last, Literary Hub spotlights 10 nonfiction titles to read this June.

Independent Press Top 5 Bestsellers: Nonfiction
The American Booksellers Association and the Independent Publishers Caucus recently collaborated on an independent bestsellers list, which includes books from independent presses and sold in indie bookshops. Below are the top five nonfiction titles this week. Find this week’s full list of fiction and nonfiction independent bestsellers.

1. The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World by Peter Wohlleben (Greystone Books)
2. The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon (Liveright)
3. Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground by Zayd Ayers Dohrn (W. W. Norton & Company)
4. Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life by Alex Mayyasi (W. W. Norton & Company)
5. Incorruptible: Why Good Companies Go Bad and How Great Companies Stay Great by Eric Ries (Authors Equity)

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