University Press Week Kicks Off November 3

This year’s University Press Week (UP Week) runs from Sunday, November 3, through Saturday, November 9. Emphasizing the role that scholarly publishers can play in moving national and international conversations forward on critical and complex issues, the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) has chosen “Read. Think. Act.” as the theme for this year.

In celebration of Indies First on Small Business Saturday, taking place on November 30, university presses are offering a range of special offers for bookseller members of the American Booksellers Association. Booksellers can also visit the University Press Week website or the Indies First Publisher Offers page to access a range of items to help them promote University Press Week, such as downloadable shelf-talkers and a recommended reading list compiled by university presses. 

The theme of “Read. Think. Act.” was selected based on the recognition that many citizens around the globe continue to engage in important debates that will influence vital decision-making in the months ahead. Through this theme, AUPresses members worldwide will encourage people to read the latest peer-reviewed publications about issues that affect our present and future — from politics to economics to climate change to race relations — and to better understand academic presses’ important contribution to these vital areas of concern.

This will be the eighth annual University Press Week. The UP community will host online celebrations of this year’s theme via a blog tour and a featured publication gallery, and industry supporters such as Ingram, NetGalley, and Baker & Taylor will also mark the week online through special messages and marketing. In addition to events taking place at the Texas Book Festival, Brooklyn Book Festival, and Boston Book Festival, Book Culture in New York City will host a panel on November 7 on the week’s theme with a number of local UP editors and authors taking part.

A full run-down of all UP Week events can be found at www.universitypressweek.org.

University presses publish approximately 14,000 books each year, as well as more than 1,200 journals and numerous innovative digital works; 151 presses belong to AUPresses, and 20 percent of that number are presses based outside the U.S.