London Book Fair returns with a scholarly focus
This week sees the welcome return of The London Book Fair, where scholarly publishing will be as well represented as ever! The showpiece event for the sector will be the Research & Scholarly Publishing Forum on Thursday 7 April, chaired and curated by Malavika Legge, Publishing Director at the Biochemical Society and Chair of the Society Publishers’ Coalition.
The Forum kicks off with a session on new concepts and technologies supporting evolution and revolution in journal publishing, featuring Alex Freeman (Octopus), Yvonne Campfens (OA Switchboard), and Hong Zhou (Atypon). Then Frances Pinter (Central European University Press), Joe Deville (Lancaster University), Dr Janneke Adema (Coventry University), and Nicola Parkin (Taylor & Francis) will discuss the transition to open scholarship in the world of books & monographs. At 11:30, Robert Kiley (Coalitions) and Romy Beard (Romy Beard Consultancy) will consider perspectives from partners in the ecosystem, before the formal conversations conclude with a discussion of what’s working well and what’s problematic in scholarly publishing. The Forum will then end with a networking event.
Register for this year’s RSPF conference.
In addition to the Research & Scholarly Publishing Forum, there are also several panel sessions taking place at the Olympia Theatre. On Tuesday at 10:30, a session addressing the question How can publishers make scientific knowledge actionable to impact global change? will be chaired by Julie Nash of J&J Editorial and feature Miriam Maus (IOP Publishing), Toby Lasserson (The Cochrane Library), and Robin Dunford (Atypon). At 11:30 on Wednesday, Sarah Faulder of the PLS will chair a session on TDM and Copyright: Current Concerns and Future Challenges, featuring Duncan Campbell (Wiley) and Will Crook (PLS). Later that day, Monica Moniz (CUP) will lead a discussion on The Evolution of the Research Article with Becky Hill (F1000), Fiona Hutton (CUP), and Maria Guerreiro (eLife).
King appointed to permanent role at Edinburgh
Edinburgh University Press has confirmed the appointment of Nicola King as permanent CEO, following a nine-month period in which she took on the role on an interim basis. The press has also announced a publishing partnership with the Edward Gibb Memorial Trust which will see books on areas including Islamic and Middle Eastern studies published under a joint GMT and EUP imprint.
Two new book series for Liverpool
Liverpool University Press is launching two new book series. Viking Europe: Connections and Culture in the Early Medieval World will focus on new archaeological and historical research into the Viking World, covering all of Europe between 750 and 1100 AD. Studies in the Global Nineteenth Century will explore the period between 1750 and 1914 across a range of disciplines.
New partner for Open Library
The Open Library of Humanities, which this month migrated all its journal titles to its own Janeway publishing platform, has announced another new member of its Library Partnership Subsidy system. Montreal’s Concordia University is an English-language public comprehensive university with more than 50,000 students registered annually.
Five academic presses on British Book Awards shortlist
The shortlist for the Academic, Educational and Professional Publisher of the Year category at the British Book Awards has been announced. Bloomsbury, Edinburgh University Press, Emerald Publishing, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, and Manchester University Press represent the academic sector alongside Kogan Page, Hodder Education, and Collins. The winners will be announced on 23 May.
Alastair Horne is a lecturer in publishing studies at the University of Stirling.