ANNUAL MEETING
The AUPresses 2022 Annual Meeting welcomed our community back in-person for our flagship community event. The meeting took place on June 18-20 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington, DC.
The 2022 Annual Meeting Program Committee, co-chaired by Natalie Eidenier (Michigan State) and Joeth Zucco (Washington) developed a blockbuster schedule of speakers, educational sessions, and social events that made the most of our time together. More than 500 individuals attended sessions, participated in networking events, and visited with sponsors and exhibitors.
AUPressees 2022 included a special reception and banquet in honor of Juneteenth with Toni Tipton-Martin, author of Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking; and The Jemima Code: Two Centuries of African American Cookbooks (University of Texas Press), who spoke on “The Jemima Code and the Future of Food Writing;” luncheon addresses by Linda Steinman, AUPresses General Counsel, on “The Re-emergence of Book Banning,” and Shelly C. Lowe, National Endowment for the Humanities Chair (via video recording); and a closing plenary with Professor Anjali Vats, JD, PhD, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, who discussed “Publishing for Racial Justice: A Meditation on Copyright Equity in Academic Publishing.”
Event highlights included a tour and opening reception at the Library of Congress; a 5K run/walk; daily meeting space for participants in the mentorship program; and daily special breakfast groups with assigned breakout rooms. These breakfast gatherings included groups and areas of interest such as BIPOC Networking, Editorial Directors and Editors-in-Chief, New Press Directors, Journals, Editorial, Design, and Production, LGBTQIA+ Networking, Small Press, Mellon Fellows, Open Access, and Multimodal Digital Monographs: White Paper Launch.
Seven companies sponsored AUPresses 2022 at various levels (Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze), and 25 companies appeared in the exhibit hall to showcase their products and services.
ANNUAL MEETING GRANTS
In 2022, the Association funded several programs for qualified member staff to attend the Annual Meeting.
Early Career Grants
These grants covered registration fees (excluding pre-meeting virtual workshops and add-on event fees) and up to $1,000 in travel expenses for an individual to attend their first in-person Annual Meeting. Grant awardees must have more than six months but less than three years of experience in scholarly publishing. 2022 Early Career Grants were awarded to:
Lily Stephens, Publishing Assistant, University of South Carolina Press
Candice Lawrence, Publicist, University of Georgia Press
Jessica Abraham, Editorial, Design, and Production Coordinator, University of Toronto Press
Laura Fish, Marketing Manager, University of Washington Press
Michael Martella, Administrative Assistant, University Press of Mississippi
Next Step Registration Grants
These grants were awarded to individuals attending their first in-person AUPresses Annual Meeting. Grants covered the full meeting registration fee (pre-meeting virtual workshops and add-on event fees were not included). 2022 Next Step Registration Grants were awarded to:
Traci Cothran, Sales and Marketing Manager, Wayne State University Press
Laura Ansley, Managing Editor, American Historical Association
Holly Mitchell, Project Editor, Oxford University Press
Daniel Bean, Head of Marketing-Online Education, Cambridge University Press
The 2022 Early Career and Next Step Grants were generously funded by Ingram, an AUPresses 2022 Platinum Sponsor.
Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Grants
These grants waived the annual meeting registration fees (excluding pre-meeting virtual workshops and add-on event fees) and reimbursed lodging and travel expenses up to $1,000. Grants are awarded to members who identify as a member of an underrepresented group within the Association. 2022 Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Grants were awarded to:
Jamie Magyar, Associate Content Manager, Cambridge University Press
Wren Morgan Myers, Senior Project Editor, University of Virginia Press
Donovan Kūhiō Colleps, Production Editor/Publication Specialist, University of Hawaii Press
Cindy Lim, Editorial Assistant, Stanford University Press
Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, Director of Publishing, University of Guam Press
Khelee Williams, Marketing Officer, The University of the West Indies Press
Jessica Flores, Publishing Assistant and Permissions Coordinator, Georgetown University Press
AUPRESSES REGISTRATION PROMOTIONS
In addition to the grants noted above, the Association offered a registration promotion via the Small Press Program. Regular member presses that reported under $1.5 million annual net sales were eligible to receive one complimentary registration to the Association’s in-person Annual Meeting.
AUPRESSES-LPC CROSS POLLINATION GRANTS
The Cross-Pollination Conference Registration Grants have aimed to promote greater interconnectivity between members of the Association of University Presses and the Library Publishing Coalition (LPC), bringing up to two members of each organization to the other’s annual conference. The AUPresses Library Relations Committee and the LPC Program Committee coordinate this registration waiver program.
In 2022, Mary Young (Kent State University Press) received a registration waiver grant to attend the Library Publishing Forum in Pittsburgh; Peter McCracken (Cornell University) and Daniel Tracy (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) received registration waiver grants to attend the AUPresses 2022 meeting in Washington, DC. The program is on pause in 2023 as both organizations are hosting virtual annual conferences, with an expectation that both organizations will look to offer this vital shared learning opportunity once more in 2024.
Meeting Mentorship Program
The Association’s Professional Development Committee (PDC) facilitated the Meeting Mentorship Program for the eighth year in 2022. The committee matched 55 mentor pairs who connected via phone, email, and video between June 2022-June 2023. Those mentors and mentees who attended the AUPresses 2022 Annual Meeting connected face-to-face in Washington, DC in June 2022.
In April 2023, the AUPresses PDC hosted the webinar, “Mentorship: Tips for Mentees and Mentors.” Participants in the 2022 AUPresses Mentorship Program served as panelists, discussing the strategies and practices used by successful mentors. Ninety individuals registered for this event.
SPECIAL GROUP MEETINGS
Directors’ Networking Luncheon and Meeting
Seventy-one press directors registered for this casual networking luncheon and meeting held on June 18 in Washington, DC in advance of AUPresses 2022. Donna Hicks, PhD, author of Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture that Brings Out the Best in People (Yale University Press), discussed the foundational concept of dignity, and healing conflict and unifying employees around their common identity, and followed her presentation with an interactive activity to help put those concepts into action. The session was introduced by Barbara Kline Pope (Johns Hopkins) and was organized by Pope; Lisa Bayer (Georgia); Lara Mainville (Ottawa); and Charles Watkinson (Michigan). The session was sponsored by Johns Hopkins University Press: Books, Journals, Project MUSE, and HFS.
Workshops
While the AUPresses Annual Meeting returned to an in-person format in 2022, the AUPresses Marketing, Journals, and Editorial, Design, and Production Committees organized the following virtual workshops in advance of the 2022 AUPresses Annual Meeting.
Circling Back: How Are UPs Approaching Open Access Today?
Organized by the AUPresses Journals Committee and moderated by Stacy Lavin (Duke) and Committee Chair Julie Warheit (Wayne State), this Journals Assembly gathered a selection of leaders in the university press community to discuss their organizations’ approach to Open Access and how their journals programs have been shaped by forces including the looming pressures of Plan S, the global pandemic, and changing economies. Twenty-nine attendees participated in this workshop.
Framing Crisis Communications: Steps That Can Scale to Any Press’s Level
The AUPresses Marketing Committee and Chair Elise Jajuga (Michigan State) organized this workshop, which aimed to give marketing professionals a handle on approaching crisis communications. Simulated crisis response situations were tackled in small breakout groups followed by response feedback from experienced professionals. Attendees received practical tips to prepare for, think about, and respond to crisis situations that might present themselves, ranging from press-specific issues such as a damaged author image to higher level predicaments like press criticism on the national level. Thirty-one participants attended this workshop.
Integrating Accessibility into Editorial, Design, and Production Workflows
The AUPresses Editorial, Design, and Production Committee, Co-Chaired by Julia Cook (Rochester) and Laura Furney (Colorado), organized this roundtable that built on an earlier hangout on accessibility. The workshop dug deeper into the logistics of creating accessible ebooks and integrating accessibility into workflows. Short informal Q&A sessions on gathering and preparing material for accessible ebooks, creating accessible ebooks (in- and out-of-house), and navigating the various resources and certifications available to presses were followed by small breakout sessions. Seventy-nine participants attended this workshop.
WEBINARS
The following webinars were held to share information and resources. Webinars were recorded and are publicly accessible.
Resumes and Cover Letters: Tips from University Press Professionals
In August 2022, the AUPresses Professional Development Committee partnered with Paths in Publishing to host a webinar to launch a highly-practical discussion on standout applications that land the interview. They dove into tactics to adapt a resume to a specific job, apply for a first management role, and ways to articulate experience with confidence and precision. Jack Farrell & Associates Executive Search sponsored the webinar. Panelists included Angelica Lopez-Torres(Texas) Kathryn Marguy (Library of Congress), Bethany Wasik (Cornell) and was moderated Lyndsey Rago Claro (Princeton). The session drew 72 attendees.
Interviewing Best Practices: Tips from University Press Professionals
In September 2022, the AUPresses Professional Development Committee again partnered with Paths in Publishing to host a webinar to launch a highly-practical discussion on standout interview practices. They addressed best practices for before, during and after the interview, how to convey experience with confidence, what kinds of questions to ask, and how to follow up afterwards. Jack Farrell & Associates Executive Search sponsored the webinar. Panelists included Michelle Komie (Princeton), Kate Danser (Princeton), Rachael Levay (Colorado), Emily Powers (Beacon Press) and was moderated by Nicole Solano (Rutgers). Forty-four individuals attended the session.
Neurodiversity 1-0-1
In March 2023, the AUPresses Equity, Justice, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee hosted a webinar with outside company Enna. The webinar provided an interactive introduction to neurodiversity in the workplace covering 4 sections (understanding neurodiversity; types of neurodiversity; and supporting your neurodivergent colleague) and included Q&A. Enna’s session was created by both psychologists and neurodivergent individuals themselves and was delivered by neurodivergent facilitators. The session had 62 attendants.
Mentorship – Tips for Mentees and Mentors
In April 2023, the AUPresses Professional Development Committee hosted a panel discussion on strategies and practices used by successful mentors, offering insight and practical tips to make these relationships successful. Participants in the AUPresses Mentorship Program appeared on the panel, which included Karen Jackson (California); Jessica Pellien (MIT); Peter Perez (North Carolina); and Anna-Lise Santella (Oxford). The session was facilitated by Alodie Larson (Oxford); and Megan Michel Mendonça (Princeton). Fifty-five attendees participated in the session.
SPONSORED WEBINARS
In 2022-23, the Association hosted a series of webinars presented by sponsors:
Marketing and Selling Your Books Online: What To Do and How To Do It!
In May 2022, Supadu’s Sarah Arbuthnot hosted a webinar discussing how to effectively use marketing channels to draw an audience to a website and store by exploring in detail how to create the most successful social media content. Ninety-nine individuals attended the session.
Overcoming the 5 barriers to Royalty Automation
In October 2022, MetaComet Systems’ David Marlin discussed royalty management systems and how they can improve the accuracy and efficiency. The session drew 29 attendants.
Think Like a Bookshop
In November 2022, Supadu’s Grace Antelme and Sarah Arbuthnot; and Davida G. Breier (Johns Hopkins) took a look at the bookshops that have been running author-led reader events for decades, even centuries; their successes; how they engage directly with readers through direct marketing, offers, sales, and events; and how they build a community through a broad range of marketing activities. Fifty-two attendees participated in the session.
The Meaning and Relativity of Keywords
In November 2022 Virtusales: Jake Furbush from Harvard University Press and Tricia McCraney from Virtusales reviewed the meaning and value of keywords, looking at how to select keywords and measure their effectiveness, along with the mechanics of sending them to retailers, including some top tips for handling specific requirements for various retailers. 104 registered and 65 attendees
Easy Path to Purchase and Preventing Cart Abandonment
In March 2023 Supadu’ s Sarah Arbuthnot discussed the key ingredients for successful eCommerce and how to ensure users stay on a press’s site and buy directly from the press. The session drew 23 registrants.
“LET’S TALK ABOUT…” HANGOUTS
An informal and interactive way to learn more about the topics that interest our community most, the AUPresses “Let’s Talk About…” Hangout series offers lively discussions with plenty of opportunity for Q&A. Association committees organize these sessions.
This year’s “Let’s Talk About…” series featured conversations addressing the OSTP Memo; Mid-career Networking; the new edition of the Best Practices for Peer Review of Scholarly Books; EDP Networking; Exhibits and Academic Conferences; and Marketing and Publicity Networking.
ART OF ACQUISITIONS HANGOUTS
Developed by the AUPresses Acquisitions Editorial Committee, the Art of Acquisitions Hangouts feature lively sessions with moderated panels, active audience Q&A, and Twitter chats using the #artofACQ tag. These sessions address a variety of topics of special interest to the acquisitions community, such as a discussion about peer review of digital projects which took place in June 2022.
RESIDENCY GRANTS
The AUPresses Residency Program provides opportunities for individuals at Association member presses to advance their professional knowledge, strengthen operations at their home presses, and foster professional collegiality throughout the community. Offering staff at member presses intensive, hands-on residencies of up to one week at other member presses, the program is one of the Association’s most effective professional development initiatives, benefitting both host and home presses alike.
The Association was very pleased to resume the Residency Program in 2022-2023. The Residency Program was funded through 2023 with support from the Johns Hopkins University Press in honor of retired director Kathleen Keane.
The AUPresses Professional Development Committee, which administers the program, selected the following individuals for the 2022 Residency Program:
Adam Mehring, The University of Wisconsin Press
Christopher Blaker, Marine Corps University Press
Clare Jones, Cornell University Press
Katie Lee, Gallaudet University Press
Lily Simmons, University of Pennsylvania Press
Murray Tong, Wilfrid Laurier University Press
DIRECTORS RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Modeled after the Association’s Week-in-Residence Program, this program provides travel funding to directors at smaller member presses to spend a few days visiting with and learning from another member press.
The following individuals were selected to participate in the 2022-2023 AUPresses Directors Residency Program:
Angela Leppig, Gallaudet University Press
Geoffrey Little, Concordia University Press
Suzanne Guiod, Bucknell University Press
Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, University of Guam Press