University Press Week Blog Tour – The Importance of Regional Publishing

Today the University Press Week Blog Tour focuses on the importance of regional publishing. Here is a quick summary of the blog posts from several Presses:

Fredric Nachbaur, Director of Fordham University Press, writes about establishing the Empires State Editions imprint to better brand and market the regional books, reflect the mission of the university, and co-publish books with local institutions.

Louisiana State University Press looks at the challenge of capturing an authentic representation of Louisiana’s culture, especially when it is an outsider looking in, as many authors (scholars or not) are. Erin Rolfs discusses how it takes more than just a well-written, thoroughly researched book to succeed in depicting the nuances of Louisiana’s food, music, and art and about LSU Press titles that have successfully shared and deepen an understanding of a regional cultural asset through collaboration with those most closely affiliated with the subject.

At Syracuse University Press regional author, Chuck D’Imperio, examines the roots of regional writing in many of the “classics.” From oral testimonies to local guidebooks, these stories contribute to the culture and history of the region.

University of Alabama Press gives a brief overview of the economic niche regional university presses occupy between mass market trade publishing and non-scholarly regional and local publishing.

University of Nebraska Press’s editor-in-chief Derek Krissoff defines the meaning of place in University Press publishing.

Editorial director of the University of North Carolina Press, Mark Simpson-Vos, highlights the special value of regional university press publishing at a time when the scale for so much of what we do emphasizes the global.

University Press of Kentucky’s regional editor, Ashley Runyon, writes on her unique editorial perspective as a born-and-bred Kentuckian as well as preserving Kentucky’s cultural heritage.

Steve Yates, marketing director at the University Press of Mississippi, gives his thoughts on the scale of regional publishing and shares the sage advice of businessmen.