Maybe I’m just a cockeyed optimist, but I’m less gloomy than some are about the state of university-press publishing. If you have a Chronicle subscription, you can read why here, in my report from the Association of American University Presses conference, held in Montreal last weekend.
Nice town, Montreal. What I did there: Walked around McGill U. and admired the stonework. Got my rusty French working well enough to tell a cashier that I didn’t want a bag with my purchase. Had some surprisingly good vegetarian sushi in a town that otherwise serves foie gras with EVERYTHING. Sat in windowless conference rooms. Tried not to overdo the coffee (again, surprisingly good). Talked to university-press editors and directors and other concerned parties. Looked for signs that the End of Days is about to be visited upon UP publishing. Concluded–well, see above.
