IU Press

Few students know that IU is home to its own publishing company and fewer still know what the IU Press actually does. \n"Indiana University Press's mission is to inform and inspire scholars, students and thoughtful general readers by disseminating ideas and knowledge of global significance, regional importance and lasting value," according to the Press' mission statement. \nThe IU Press is the largest of those in the Big 10 affiliated with the Association of American University Presses, said Janet Rabinowitch, IU Press director, but its space is limited. As the Press' business has grown, so has its staff and its need for space. \nThe Press is housed in the old office building of The Showers Brothers Furniture Company, which was a significant furniture producer during the 19th century. The deteriorating exterior of the three-story building does not do justice to the quality of work being done inside. There are currently 53 employees at the press, so every inch of space is used -- multiple desks share offices and stacks of manuscripts are piled high on file cabinets. \nTwo old bank vaults, installed when the building was used by the furniture company, now house books. One vault contains a copy of every book title currently in print. A library containing out-of-print titles is in the basement of the building. \n"The Press keeps one copy of every book (they publish)," said Alisa Alering, tights and permissions manager at the Press. \nRobinowitch has worked at the Press for the past 31 years. She has seen the successful publication of hundreds of titles. \n"Our books are our ambassadors," she said. "They extend the presence of the University known to readers far out into the world." \nHerman B Wells had that vision when the IU Press was founded in 1950. \n"The Press will be an ultimate expression of the influence of the University in scientific and intellectual publishing," Wells had said. "The Press will endeavor to extend the University's teaching and research beyond the library, laboratory and classroom, thus performing a function of a university peculiarly important in a democracy."\nThe Press is divided into two publishing departments, books and journals. About 140 new books are published each year during the fall and spring publishing seasons. The Press currently publishes 28 journals, most of them quarterly. There are over 3,000 titles currently in print, said Pat Hoefling, marketing director at the IU Press. \nThe IU Press publishes in a wide range of subject areas. The 2006 spring/summer catalog includes subjects such as bioethics, feminism, fiction and war. The strongest subject areas of publication include Africa, international studies and music. It is no coincidence that those are also areas in which IU is a leader Robinowitch said.\nA staff of six acquiring editors is responsible for finding new titles to publish, Robinowitch said. The acquiring editors have also consulted with IU graduate students about their dissertations and junior faculty members about their academic monograph, or initial publication required for tenure. \nThe acquiring editors have become experts in a variety of fields. Robinowitch said they acquire manuscripts by networking within their field of interest -- attending conferences and meeting with authors and editors. When a potential manuscript is presented, it is sent to at least two experts in its subject area for a peer review. If a manuscript is determined worthy, it is sent out to be printed. Robinowitch said color publications are printed in Asia and all other publications are contracted out within the United States. \nRobinowitch named "Ovid's Metamorphosis" as the Press's all-time bestseller, with over 500,000 copies sold since it was originally printed in the 1960s. New printings are periodically done to fill the demand for the book, which is oftentimes used in University courses. \n"Each year various books of ours win awards," Robinowitch said. \nSome of the recent awards recognize a range of subjects. "Louis Johnson and the Arming of America" by Keith McFarland and David Roll won the 2005 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Silver award in biographies. "Jazz in Black and White" by Duncan Schiedt won the same organization's silver award in music. \nCultural publications that come out of the IU Press find success as well. University of Missouri professor of African American history Wilma King's "Stolen Childhood: Slave Youth in Nineteenth Century America" won the National Conference of Black Political Scientists 1997 Outstanding Book award. The Jewish Book Council recognized "The Moscow State Yiddish Theatre" by Jeffrey Veidlinger with the National Jewish Book Award for Yiddish Language and Culture in 2001. \nAlthough some material included in the course packets used by some IU classes comes from IU Press publications, the course packets themselves are not published by the Press. Kinko's or TIS generally handle that printing, in compliance with copyright regulations. \nNot all publications are academic in subject matter. In accordance with its own mission statement, the IU Press publishes general interest books about subjects such as dinosaurs and railroads. Robinowitch said books about Indiana and the Midwest make up a large portion of the general interest category. \nTwo recent general interest publications have been very popular. The first, "Indiana Cooks!" by Christine Barbour and Scott Feickert, profiles 15 Indiana restaurants and provides four recipes from each chef. Another, "Bringing the World to Our Neighborhood" by LuAnne Holladay highlights Bloomington's annual Lotus Festival. \nIU Press publications are available through catalogs or online. Selected titles for the general readership are available in bookstores. Authors or readers interested in IU Press publications can find more information on the Press's Web site, www.iupress.indiana.edu