New Books Network – "Celebrating University Press Week 2025 with President Dennis Lloyd"

Host: Caleb Zakrin, Editor of New Books Network
Guest: Dennis Lloyd, Director of University of Wisconsin Press; President, Association of University Presses
Date: November 6, 2025

Overview

This episode of the New Books Network honors University Press Week 2025 (November 10-14), featuring Dennis Lloyd, President of the Association of University Presses (AUPresses) and Director of University of Wisconsin Press. Using this year’s theme, “Team Up,” Zakrin and Lloyd discuss the role of collaboration in university press publishing, current trends and challenges (including open access and AI), opportunities for smaller presses, the value of academic books, and career advice for would-be authors or university press staff.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dennis Lloyd’s Career Path and Background

• Dennis Lloyd outlines his 32-year journey in university publishing, having started as an acquisitions assistant at University of Illinois Press and later working at six different presses. He’s been at University of Wisconsin Press as director for ten years.

  • Quote: “I was the first in my family to go to college and then went on to graduate school… I applied and started as an acquisitions assistant at the University of Illinois Press… I've worked at a total of six different university presses.” (03:19)

• Role as AUPresses President:

  • The presidency is a volunteer, uncompensated but highly rewarding role, focused on leadership, committee guidance, and representing the organization. However, much administrative work is run by executive director Peter Berkery and a central staff. (04:55)

2. University Press Week: Themes & Preparation

• Theme "Team Up" (2025):

  • "Team Up" highlights the deep collaborative spirit in all elements of university press publishing, from peer review and editorial boards, to inter-press and external partnerships (07:38).
  • Quote: “Team up, this year's theme, focuses on collaborations… really at the heart of it.” (07:38)

• Preparations:

  • The dedicated Press Week Task Force works year-round to plan the celebration, beginning immediately after the previous year’s concludes. (06:28)

3. Collaboration and Project Highlights

• Range of Collaborations:

  • Collaboration is central in university press publishing: peer review, editorial boards, partnerships with bookstores, libraries, and co-publications between presses.
  • Example projects (09:31):
    • University of Alberta Press & Center for Literature in Canada: co-publishing a lecture series
    • Rutgers UP: Korean Humanities in Translation
    • Duke/MIT Presses: Direct to Open program
    • University of California Press: First-Gen Scholars Program
    • University of Wisconsin Press & Aarhus UP (Denmark): The Nordic World and Scandinavian Studies

• Find out more:

  • The gallery of collaborative projects and highlighted books is at upweek.org.

4. Market Realities and Resilience

• Market Challenges – Not a Crisis:

  • While book sales per academic title have shrunk drastically over 30+ years (from 2,000 to a few hundred copies), Lloyd resists the "crisis" narrative.
  • Factors include library purchasing shifts, budget constraints, and the evolution of scholarly communication.
  • Quote: “…about 10 years ago… the ability of university presses to respond to these external market forces is more of a feature than a bug.” (11:35)

• Role of Collaboration in Resilience:

  • Partnerships and shared resources help presses innovate and survive changes, rather than just weathering “storms.”

5. Open Access and Funding Models

• OA in Humanities vs. STEM:

  • OA adoption is growing but operates differently from STEM fields. Humanities often lack sufficient grant funding for open access fees.
  • OA is driven by authors, publishers, and libraries alike but financing remains a challenge, especially for monographs.
  • Quote: “…being open has helped from a financial standpoint of course… you don't have to worry about whether you sell enough to recover your cost or not, is a great boon for a press…” (13:59)

• Mission-Driven Model:

  • University presses are more focused on breaking even and supporting scholarship than maximizing profit:
    • “Trade houses publish books to make money. University presses try to make money so that they can publish books.” (15:50)

6. Artificial Intelligence: Risks, Opportunities, Unknowns

• Uncertain Future:

  • AI’s impact is not fully understood; university presses are debating everything from training LLMs on press content to using AI for marketing/backlist management.
  • Quote: “If I could tell you how it would transform the future of university presses, I would be the most powerful person in the publishing realm. I don't think anybody really knows.” (17:51)

• Concerns:

  • Appropriating scholarly content to train LLMs raises ethical and financial questions.
  • AI’s “hallucinations” (factual errors) pose risks for trusted information resources.
  • Creative fields especially value human authorship (“I don't want AI to write my stories for me. I want it to clean my house and wash my dishes…” (19:11))

• Experiments & Scale:

  • Larger presses may have resources to experiment on the AI front, but small presses’ nimbleness can also drive innovation (e.g., peer-reviewed podcasts at Wilfrid Laurier UP). (23:49)

7. The Value and Longevity of Academic Books

• Long Tail Impact:

  • Academic books may be written for small audiences but have a long shelf life and can influence scholarship decades after publication.
  • University presses keep books in print much longer than trade publishers.
  • Quote (Zakrin): “These books … have a really long shelf life. So they very well might be connecting with a reader, you know, 40, 50, 60 years down the road…” (32:00)

• Mission Stressed over Hype:

  • Quote (Lloyd): “We're not looking for, oh my God, everything has to be the next huge big thing. We're looking for really solid work.” (31:20)

• Advice for Authors:

  • Reach out to editors before your manuscript is perfect; look for the right editorial fit.
  • Be realistic about your audience and the value of specialized academic books.

8. How University Presses Support Each Other

• Resource Sharing:

  • Larger presses can experiment and develop infrastructure that smaller presses can later benefit from.
  • “Different things can be done at different scales: some are more nimble; some have the advantage of large content pools.” (23:49)

• Community Spirit:

  • The university press world is marked by mutual support and knowledge-sharing—not just competition.
  • Quote: “We just about as often will say, you know, this isn't right for us. But I happen to know that this press would be a perfect fit…” (37:19)

9. Careers in University Press Publishing

• Getting Started:

  • Explore job lists, reach out for informational interviews, connect via conferences, and don’t be afraid to inquire about opportunities.
  • Quote: “If there's a university press near you … reach out to an acquisitions editor or… ask for an informational interview…” (34:52)

• A Community of Readers:

  • The press world attracts people with a love for books, reading, and learning. The “hidden network” of university presses is vital to the academic ecosystem globally.
  • Quote (Zakrin): “…It really is just can. It can be in many ways a dream job and I think a great, a great way to… experience life through, through working with authors…” (36:16)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On University Press Collaboration:

  • “One of the key elements that makes us different from other publishers is the absolute reliance on peer review and that is collaborative.” (08:04)

• On Book Longevity:

  • “We're also very unlikely to declare a book out of print within a year or two. We're much more likely to still have it on our backlist, even if it's just selling a handful of copies a year, in year five, in year ten…” (33:13)

• On the Press Community:

  • “The association of University Presses is on one level an industry trade group, but on a, on a deeper level, it's a community. And that's… always been really powerful.” (37:19)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|---------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:19 | Dennis Lloyd's background and university press journey | | 07:38 | "Team Up" – Press Week theme and focus on collaboration | | 09:31 | Notable collaboration projects among university presses | | 13:59 | Open Access: motivations, challenges, and funding | | 17:51 | Artificial intelligence: hopes, fears, and ongoing conversations | | 23:49 | Big vs. small presses: supporting innovation and sharing resources | | 29:42 | Advice for aspiring university press authors | | 34:52 | Career advice for entering university press publishing | | 37:19 | The press community: mutual support and global reach |

Additional Resources

• University Press Week homepage & gallery: upweek.org
• Press Week events & blog tour: Details on the [site], including in-person/virtual events and daily blog posts on collaboration.

This summary provides a comprehensive understanding of the episode, capturing the enthusiasm, candor, and wide-ranging expertise of both host and guest. Whether you're an author, academic, aspiring press professional or lifelong reader, this episode showcases the collaborative spirit and enduring value of university press publishing.