A new university press from Goldsmiths, University of London will partner with the MIT Press in a unique deal between the two prestigious institutions.
The partnership will see all Goldsmiths Press titles marketed and distributed through MIT Press’s Cambridge, Massachusetts and London offices.
The first title to be released is Academic Diary by the influential Sociology Professor Les Back in April this year.
Goldsmiths Press will take advantage of digital technology to revive and regenerate the traditions and values of university press publishing. It is driven by a widely-recognized need for new forms of academic publishing in the digital age. The new venture highlights the strengths of Goldsmiths, University of London, as an incubator of ideas and creativity for over a century.
Goldsmiths Press will publish print books as well as ebooks, apps, and online resources.
Sarah Kember, Director of Goldsmiths Press, said: “We want to create a culture around academic knowledge practices that is far more inventive than it is now and are actively seeking contributions that do not easily fit within existing disciplines or publishing conventions. We will not compromise on quality and care far more about content than we do about platforms. We’ll always look for the best ways to publish any particular piece of work.”
Amy Brand, Director of the MIT Press, said: “We couldn’t be more pleased to enter into this exciting arrangement with Goldsmiths Press. Their driving forces match quite well with our own and we are thrilled to help usher this new and promising Press into the exciting world of university press publishing.”
Broadcaster and former Professor of Sociology Laurie Taylor said of Professor Back’s work, “Academic Diary is a profoundly humanistic account of the unexpected and often fleeting day-to-day pleasures of working in a contemporary university.”
While serving the academic community, Goldsmiths Press, along with the support and guidance of the MIT Press, will explore the many ways in which to increase its reach to a wider public.
About Goldsmiths, University of London:
Founded in 1891, Goldsmiths, University of London is an institution with a rich academic history known for its creative approach. Its 9,000 students are based on campus in the heart of south east London’s New Cross community, studying undergraduate, postgraduate, teacher training and return-to-study courses in subjects covering the arts, social sciences, humanities and computing.