When you think of academic publishers, the first thing that possibly comes to mind is a scene from high school or college-late night cramming with stacks of textbooks lying around you. But, as with everything else in the publishing world, there is so much more to academic publishing than just textbooks.
New forms of educational publishing have come into existence in recent years, particularly with the advent of the Internet and online publishers. Of course, the major academic books publishers are still going strong, such as Cambridge University Press or McGraw-Hill--the classic textbook publishers--yet many new academic publishers have sprouted up and made their mark in the different segments of the academic industry.
Here are the major services that scholarly publishers provide:
- Textbooks--as long as high schools and colleges exist, academic textbooks will be in demand.
- Newsletters--traditional or electronic newsletters published for specific academic industries.
- Journals--traditional or online journals can range from philosophy to medicine to science.
- Education Software--a booming industry for the creation of academic software to teach students of all ages and walks of life.
Yes, a high degree of opportunity exists in academic publishing, provided you have the expertise needed. There are so many publishers in the industry offering many services and unique prospects.
An association designed to facilitate academic or scholarly publishing is the Society of Scholarly Publishing (SSP), website www.sspnet.org. It strives to advance scholarly publishing, communication, and the professional development of its members through education, collaboration, and networking among individuals in this field.
Two of the most extensive directories of educational publishers--both online and traditional publishers--can be found on the Internet.
