So, hanging out with a few hundred employees of university presses for a few days to talk about editing, digital publishing, and funding may not sound like your idea of a good time, but it sure is mine!

The 2009 annual meeting of the Association of American University Presses took place in Philadelphia from June 18-21. Bringing together permissions managers and acquisitions editors alike, the meeting was an opportunity both to mingle, and to confront pressing issues in the world of scholarly publishing.

As you may know, many changes are affecting publishing companies of all sizes. However, university presses, which are often small and whose funding depends on their parent institutions (thus meaning if they’re not successful, funding may be cut back) face unique challenges. How do we use our limited resources to go digital? How do we not only survive dips in profit, but keep improving both the quality of our products and our sales numbers? Where is the print publishing industry heading and what does that mean for us?

Despite the serious topics being discussed, good times were to be had at the AAUP meeting. University press employees traded war stories and plotted strategies for collaboration over wine, crab cakes, and brownies in the lavish setting of the Loews Philadelphia Hotel. This gave everyone a sense of camaraderie and let us all know that we struggle and succeed together.

After all, we’re not opposed to knocking a couple back when the occasion calls for it!

-Julia