University presses can be an obscure corner of the publishing world, producing some top-flight research and thinking by renowned scholars but also putting out works that go unnoticed by the general public.
But under the leadership of Kathleen Keane, The Johns Hopkins University Press has remained viable and relevant, colleagues said. Keane is the director of the Hopkins Press and oversees a multimillion-dollar operation that publishes about 200 books and 60 journalsand is at the forefront of electronic journal publishing.
Keane said she enjoys publishing books that delve into detailed topics that might not make it off a commercial editor?s desk.
“These are important topics, and I think a large commercial house would have been less likely to take a chance on one scholar,” she said.
Keane joined the press five years ago after a long career in the commercial publishing world, and she brought her dollars-and-cents perspective with her. It?s a sensibility that has helped the press remain relevant and vital, said Jim Zeller, the university?s vice provost for budget and planning.
“Making the press more relevant to what goes on in the university when most of the audience is outside the university is a unique skill set,” Zeller said. “It?s tough competition out there for university presses that don?t have huge endowments to operate in an economically viable way.”
The press continues to publish its series of health books aimed at a general audience, and Keane has also overseen its new effort, Project Muse, an online collection of electronic versions of print journals.
“This is the first [online] collection of humanities and science journals. And it?s a nonprofit format,” said Jack Holmes, director of development for the press.
This fall, the press will publish books co-authored by Newt Gingrich and a field guide to the natural world of New York City, among others.
