Scholarly publishing in the United States is in deep trouble. Most anyone who makes a living in the academy, especially anyone working in the humanities or social sciences, is likely to be aware of it. In a world ruled by the law of publish or perish, for many, the possibilities for publication with a reputable university press are, in a word, perishing. But it would be a mistake to assume, as many do, that this a symptom of a general decline in readership. There's only so much time, so much room, and there are only so many habits of mind that can determine how people use the free time they have.
Literature takes a habit of mind that has disappeared.
Yet our associate editor, Andrew Cooper, discovered some equally powerful developments happening in the world of academic publishing. And they are certainly not alone. A number of other academic publishers are experiencing similar good fortune. The two pictures don't seem to fit together. If these are somehow both the best of times and the worst of times for scholarly publishing . . .