Johns Hopkins University Press announced that it will license its books to train proprietary LLMs. The press hopes that revenue from the deals will help fill holes left by Trump administration cuts to university funding. The press did not announced which specific companies it will license the work to, but says they include “general AI companies and those focused on specialized content and inference models like Retrieval-Augmented Generation.” Johns Hopkins authors have until August 31 to opt out of the agreement and sign an addendum on their contracts, or else their work will be licensed. The publisher says they can […]
University presses
Harvard University Press Staff Accuses Andreou of Mismanagement
In a lengthy investigation, The Harvard Crimson spoke to 14 Harvard University Press employees about director George Andreou’s leadership, which staff describes as dysfunctional. They write that Andreou “belittled HUP employees to their peers, instilled a fear of retaliation and layoffs, and mismanaged the publishing house.” Since his hiring in 2017, 50 employees have departed and the press has seen a significant drop in frontlist revenue, even after other university presses rebounded post-Covid. “Between 2020 and 2022,” writes the Crimson, “staff wrote at least five letters raising concerns about Andreou’s leadership to then-Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber… and filed several […]
Washington State University Stops Funding for WSU Press
Washington State University has eliminated funding for WSU Press, which would shut it down absent another solution. A cut of $300,000 will take effect at the end of December. The press is 96 years old and has a staff of three full-time employees and one part-time employee. Editor-in-chief Linda Bathgate said in an interview with KIRO Newsradio, “With the beginning of the fiscal year on July 1, 2024, Phillip Weiler, who’s our VP of university marketing and communications, had to make a 7.5% cut in the budget for the group, and he decided to cut the funding for the University […]
Princeton University Press Launches Direct Digital Sales
Princeton University Press has partnered with Glassboxx for direct-to-consumer sales of ebooks and audiobooks on its website and via the PUP app. Previously, only print editions were available to consumers directly. The press is also working to publish its backlist titles in audio. “We are dedicated to putting readers first in everything we do, a mission rooted in inclusivity, by giving them the opportunity to read in the format of their choice,” PUP director of marketing and sales Katie Hope said in a release. “As we looked to serve our readers by adding e-books and audiobooks to our existing print […]
Rutgers University Press Opens New Office In Oxford, U.K.
Rutgers University Press has opened a new office in Oxford, U.K., leasing space from Princeton University Press. The expansion reflects their growth over the last several years and a shift towards an international audience. Director Micah Kleit said in a release, “Rutgers University Press has experienced dramatic growth over the last five years, increasing our output from 75 books in 2016 to just over 150 in the past fiscal year…As our list becomes more global, we feel it’s important to have a presence outside the U.S. to reflect the strength of the list and aid in its continued success.”
Duke University Press Workers Win Union
The National Labor Relations Board has denied Duke’s April appeal to overturn the Duke University Press Union election, the union announced on Twitter. The move means that the press is officially unionized, and will now bargain with management on a contract.