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IU Press launches new digital shorts imprint

Today, Indiana University Press launched a new digital imprint, INshort, which will publish short e-content on contemporary and historical issues and provide discerning readers with short, engaging views of important and compelling topics in multiple formats. Titles in the series will feature original content from award-winning authors and will also showcase carefully selected excerpts from previously published IU Press books and journals.

Women in American Popular Music, by S. Kay Hoke, is a chapter from the edited volume Women and Music: A History, featuring composers, performers, patrons, musical contexts and an expanded view of women's contributions to music in the 20th century.

Patterns of War—World War II, by Larry H. Addington, is taken from his second edition of The Patterns of War since the Eighteenth Century and is an excellent introduction for students and general readers on the evolution of warfare during World War II.

“We chose to launch our INshort series with titles in music and military history because these are two of the most prominent areas in which IU Press publishes, and because our military history and music titles have traditionally done well for us as e-books,” said Kate Caras, Director of Electronic and Serials Publishing.

Titles planned for next season are on women in jazz and on Abraham Lincoln. Future plans for the imprint include the release of at least four shorts a year in the same wide spectrum of subject areas in which IU Press currently publishes.

“We’ve launched our INshort effort with the repurposing of previously published materials and with the goal of adding, in the very near future, original essays on topics of immediate interest,” said Caras. “We expect to receive the manuscript of our first original essay—on Martin Luther King and race in America in the age of Obama—early next calendar year.”

INshorts are available for purchase through all major e-book retailers and the IU Press website. The first two titles retail for $2.99 and $4.99.

“It is increasingly clear that the digital environment is the inevitable future of scholarly publishing. If we are to remain successful, we must be more responsive to the demands of our market and take advantage of the promises of these technologies,” said Caras. “Our INshort series is an attempt to do ‘right-size publishing’ in answer to our market’s current interest in online short-form content. It is the beginning of what I hope is a shift in our thinking about how we can use technology more effectively for the benefit of our readers.”

IU Press partners with Ingram’s CoreSource and IU eTexts on e-book distribution

In an age where e-publishing is omnipresent in daily news and some believe e-readers are the future of books, Indiana University Press has increased its digital presence by partnering with Ingram’s CoreSource Plus and Indiana University’s eTexts.

In an agreement effective now, IU Press will work with CoreSource for digital asset management and distribution, enabling the Press to reach more general readers via relationships with more than 160 retailers, library suppliers, and other business partners. Content will be available in multiple electronic formats, making it more convenient for customers to purchase books for their preferred e-reader, such as the Kindle, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, or iPad.

“As our distribution partner for e-books, CoreSource will enhance the speed our books reach customers electronically,” said Dave Hulsey, IU Press Director of Sales and Marketing. “Our award-winning books will now be available simultaneously as print and electronic editions.”

In a separate undertaking, IU Press will partner with Indiana University’s eTexts to deliver selected e-textbooks to students on all IU campuses. The agreement will provide students with designated required textbooks as part of their set course fees. The students will have the option to access digital or printed copies, with uninterrupted access to their titles while they are enrolled at IU. The partnership is effective with the fall 2012 semester.

According to Kathryn Caras, IU Press Director of Electronic and Serials Publishing, “Indiana University’s eTexts project is of immense value to IU students, and we welcome the opportunity to play a part in the university’s educational mission. We look forward to offering some of our most important titles to IU students at very reasonable prices.”

As a leading academic publisher, IU Press publishes books and journals with lasting relevance for scholarship, teaching, and learning. “We’re very pleased that our very own IU Press is taking part in the university’s eTexts effort,” said Brad Wheeler, IU Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. “IU Press titles truly reflect our intellectual community, so it’s particularly important that they’re available at a great value to students.”