The Research Group on Non-Traditional Publishing Practices, based at the School of Information Resources and Library Science at the University of Arizona in Tucson, exists to study the changing publishing environment of the early 21st-century. Primary topics of interest are self-publishing, both print and digital, e-books emerging in many varieties, and the many variations of publishing practices that are being enabled by rapidly changing digital and networked technologies and social practices.

The Research Group, headed by Professor Jana Bradley and made up of a changing roster of faculty, PhD and Master’s students, and librarians (depending on the project), has been studying the emergence of alternative publishing practices since 2006. Publications and On-Going Research.

Purpose

The overarching purpose of the Research Group on Non-Traditional Publishing Practices is to foster the study and understanding of publishing practices, particularly in the digital environment, that are emerging in contrast to the traditional practices of mainstream print publishing. Our primary focus is on trade publishing, but we also keep our eyes on developments in academic, professional, and K-12 publishing. As such our audience is anyone who is interested in research and developments in these areas.

Special Focus on Public Libraries

We have recently turned our attention to public libraries as a sub-set of our broader audience. This focus has developed from our research which points to the growth in popularity with readers of digital content published outside of digital versions of born-print books offered by mainstream publishers.  This content includes Indie-published content (notably on Kindle but also emerging in other venues including Apple ibooks), digital-first/digital only content coming from a range of publishers in both traditional and indie models, niche content, and local or personally oriented content, both Print-On-Demand (POD) and digital. This content also can potentially expand to local digital archives.

We see this content attracting more and more readers as discovery tools improve, and we expect this trend to continue.  Currently we see public libraries continuing to focus on the born-print e-content from mainstream publishers, with the notable and ground-breaking exception of the Califa project in California that is partnering with Smashwords, not only to make self-publishing content available to its 200+ California members, but also to position libraries as a center for self-publishing.  

Our purpose in regard to public libraries is to increase awareness of this burgeoning content area outside mainstream print publishers and to foster awareness, discussion, and research in ways that libraries can extend this alternative content to their users.  Without some sort of participation in alternative content, whether it is in discovery, facilitating self-publishing through programing, or collecting and providing alternative content to readers, we are concerned that as alternative content grows, the library will lose its centrality to a large number of readers.

Environmental Scan and Alerting Service

Also since 2006, we have been conducting on-going research on these changes using an environmental scanning methodology, in which various members of our team review news, blogs and other information sources daily. Starting July 15, 2012, we will be offering an alert service featuring major developments in digital and other non-traditional publishing via a distribution list. We especially encourage public libraries to participate in this distribution list as a way to keep abreast of the rapid developments in alternative content, both print and digital. Vist our Alert Page for more information and to subscribe.

Recent Publications From or About the Research Team

Bradley J et al. Non Traditional Book Publishing, First Monday, August, 2011. http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3353/3030

Bradley J et al. Self-Published Books: An Empirical “Snapshot,” The Library Quarterly, July 2012, archived by JSTOR

Everett-Haynes, L. The Self Published Book: A Major Force in the Publishing World,  UA News. June 7, 2012. http://uanews.org/node/47348

Research Group’s Blog on Non-Traditional Publishing

Visit http://uantp.blogspot.com