Page 2: Academic Book Culture in Transition

Page 2 American Book Review American Book Review Founded 1977 by Ronald Sukenick Published at the School of Arts and Sciences, University of Houston–Victoria American Book Review specializes in reviews of frequently neglected published works of fiction, poetry, literary and cultural criticism from small, regional, university, ethnic, avant-garde, and women’s presses. ABR as a literary journal aims to project the sense of engagement that writers themselves feel about what is being published. It is edited and produced by writers for writers and the general public. Comment on its reviews is encouraged, as are suggestions for future reviews. Send all editorial correspondence or review copies to: American Book Review, University of Houston–Victoria, School of Arts and Sciences, 3007 N. Ben Wilson, Victoria, TX 77901-5731 Telephone: (361) 570-4101 Fax: (361) 580-5501 Email: americanbookreview@uhv.edu Send all subscription correspondence to: American Book Review, University of Houston–Victoria, 3007 N. Ben Wilson, Victoria, TX 77901-5731 Telephone: (361) 570-4101 Email: americanbookreview@uhv.edu© 2009 by American Book Review ISSN 0149-9408. Covers and cover details used by permission. American Book Review appears bimonthly.Annual subscription rates are $24 for a one-year and $40 for a two-year individual subscription; $30 for a one-year institutional subscription; $35 for a one-year foreign, airmail subscription. American Book Review is published by its editors, and is made possible, in part, by generous support from the School ofArts and Sciences, University of Houston–Victoria and Friends of ABR. This project is also supported in part by awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes a great nation deserves great art, and the Texas Commission on the Arts. ABR is also a member of the Council of Literary Magazines and Presses. Trade distribution by Hudson–RPM, 150 Black River Road, Worcester, MA 01607; and Armadillo, 7310 LaCienaga Blvd., Inglewood, CA 90302. Indexed in Humanities International Complete, Book Review Index, Current Contents/Arts & Humanities, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index. http://americanbookreview.org Publisher: Editor: Managing Editor: Assistant Editor: Layout: Subscription Manager: Cover Image: Publisher Emeritus: Associate Editors: Contributing Editors: Assistants: Jeffrey R. Di Leo Jeffrey R. Di Leo Charles Alcorn David C. Felts David C. Felts Sunitha Subbaiah Shreepad Joglekar, “No. 9 from the White Flag series” Charles B. Harris Mark Amerika, R.M. Berry, C. S. Giscombe, Larry McCaffery, Doug Nufer, Lance Olsen, Kevin Prufer, John Tytell, Barry Wallenstein, Tom Williams, Eric Miles Williamson Rudolfo Anaya, Ron Arias, John Ashbery, Michael Bérubé, Rosellen Brown, Andrei Codrescu, William Demby, Rikki Ducornet, Raymond Federman, William Gass, Russell Hoover, Steve Katz, Clarence Major, Michael McClure, Joyce Carol Oates, Marjorie Perloff, Robert Peters, Corinne Robins, Charles Russell, Paul Schiavo, Barry Seiler, Charles Simic, Bruce Sterling, Regina Weinreich Katie Lauren Moody Page 2 There are a number of signs that the culture of the book inAmerican higher education is in a period of transition. Consider the hotly debated question as to whether the book should remain the “gold standard for tenure,” or, as Lindsay Waters, executive editor for humanities at Harvard University Press recently asked, whether the academy should once again make the essay the standard of achievement. There is also the issue of how to balance the rising cost of producing and publishing books with shrinking university press and library budgets. One solution has been for presses to make sales and marketability increasingly important factors in publishing decisions. Whereas, in the past, an intellectually compelling but unmarketable book had a good chance of acceptance for publication, more and more academic presses are rejecting strong manuscripts for fear of losing money.Accounts of manuscripts being turned down for financial rather than scholarly reasons are on the rise. These financial concerns have led some academic presses to reject the “traditional linear model” of the editorial process, wherein manuscripts are first commissioned, then sent to production, and then sent to sales and marketing. Instead, presses are adopting a “circular model” wherein sales and marketing take on an initial role in decisions about new projects. Part of the reason for this change in publishing practice is the decrease in library purchasing of university press books; in the past, presses could count on a...