UM Press cuts staff, books to save money

The economy is hitting university press around the country.

By Juana Summers

Published March 30, 2009

As part of an effort to reduce costs and increase profits, the University of Missouri Press cut nearly half its staff as well as the number of titles the press publishes.

The decision to reduce costs in this way was made after consultants from five other university presses were brought to the Missouri press to look at potential improvements and changes in light of the economic climate, UM Press Interim Director Dwight Browne said.

"Most university presses are running with a deficit," he said. "We're looking at ways to lessen that over time."

Although the press previously employed 18 people, it will now employ 11.

Along with staff cuts, the press is incorporating solutions to increase sales including integrating technology into daily operations as part of a "total reorganization."

"A lot of the things that we're doing are things that other presses have been doing for some time," Browne said. "We're trying to catch up."

A news release from the UM system stated the press saw its largest net sales in the history of the press. Browne said the deficit comes from the small market of scholarly books.

The decision to cut costs at the UM Press comes at a time when other publishers of scholarly materials are being forced to make cuts to grapple with the economy. One hundred twenty-five university presses exist nationwide, most of which are small publishers, releasing less than 50 titles each year.

The Utah State University Press, which runs without a deficit, could fall victim to planned budget cuts to higher education, Utah State University Press Director Michael Spooner said.

If higher education funding is further cut, this could eliminate one of the two streams of funding to Utah State's press, the other being book sales. Utah State receives $165,000 from the state's government.

To work with a precarious economic situation, Utah State has reduced their travel costs and made production more efficient.

"It's kind of an across-the-board belt tightening that we've done," Spooner said. "We haven't had to cut any staff."

The Utah State press is smaller than Missouri's press, with five staff members. Spooner said because Missouri's press is larger, more radical cuts might have been necessary.

Other universities, including the University of Michigan that recently switched its primary mode of publishing from traditional print to digital, have also struggled to cut costs and save more money.

The UM Press, founded in 1958, is located in Columbia on LeMone Industrial Boulevard. It specializes in regional books focusing on Missouri history.

Browne said 10 percent of the books the press publishes come from researchers and authors within the UM system, while 20 percent total come from within Missouri.

One of the press' most popular stories, "Mark Twain and his Circle" focuses on Missouri native Mark Twain and his closest associates that impacted his life.

"The university is about scholarship and teaching, and we provide an outlet for that," Browne said. "That in itself is why the press is important."