The General Reader Market for University Press Books in the United States, 1990–9, With Projections for the Years 2000 through 2004

Abstract

Throughout the 1990s, university presses in the United States sustained a tectonic shift in the marketplace because of the serials crisis. However, during that decade, the general reader market for university press books emerged as an exceptionally important channel of distribution. How vital was the general reader market to the university press community in the 1990s? What is the prognosis for future growth in this market between 2000 and 2004? What is the elasticity of demand for the general reader market? What book purchasing patterns exist among general readers? Is it likely that general readers will accept quickly electronic hand-held readers (‘e-books’) and eschew printed books? Albert Greco analyses detailed statistical data, covering the years 1990–9 with projections through 2004, to address these substantive issues and questions.