University presses, like Ohio State’s, publish academic books without worrying about turning a profit. There are more than 150 university presses in the United States and the majority are subsidized by their parent universities. Because of university funding, these presses can publish material with scholarly value — even if it isn’t expected to sell well.
Ohio State’s press is smaller than most university presses. It publishes three journals and approximately 30 books a year.

Over the past six years, the press has developed a focus on literary studies and linguistics. However, the press occasionally releases books like “The Freshwater Mussels of Ohio,” a science textbook on an important topic for OSU researchers.
 

The press developed a focus to help distinguish it from competitors and to create a possible area of prestige for Ohio State. Many university presses have a specialization — Purdue’s is veterinary medicine while Yale’s is art and architecture.
 

OSU’s press does not exist to publish just Ohio State scholars.
 

Instead, the press finds a variety of authors by visiting academic conferences, seeing who is publishing interesting papers and talking to leaders in the field.
 

“It’s like doing an ethnography of the discipline. We are interested in who academics think is important and what topics they care about. Then we try to find the best work that fits the demand we are perceiving,” press director Malcolm Litchfield said.
 

Once the press finds a promising manuscript, a proof is made. The proof then goes through several edits. Then in-house designers choose the font and layout. Freelance graphic artists design the book covers. The press takes pride in its book design, which it uses to lure in scholars deciding where to publish.
 

“We want our covers to sell our books to audiences and potential authors. We want authors to think, hey, they do a nice job with the look of their books,” production manager Jennifer Forsythe said.
 

But there is a limit to how lavish their designs can be.
 

“If you’re Sarah Palin’s book designer you could put moose hide or lipstick on each book and you would have money to do that. We don’t have the money to do lipstick or moose hides,” Litchfield said.
 

Still, the press takes special care when selecting the type of paper to print on.
Almost all presses print on archival paper suitable for conservation, Litchfield said. This is because academic books are supposed to last for a longer time than a paperback mystery in the grocery aisle.
 

When the book is fully edited and designed, a file is created and sent to the printer. The printer programs its machines with the file and 600 to 700 books are produced for a print run.
 

In a comic twist for the Ohio State University Press, many of the suitable printers are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
 

“We call them the Ann Arbor five,” Forsythe said.
 

After the books are printed, they are sent to the University of Chicago Press to be distributed nationally.
 

In addition to book publishing, the press sponsors two yearly literary contests: The Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction and The Ohio State University Press/The Journal Award in Poetry.
 

To order books or to view the 80 digital books available for free online, visit ohiostatepress.org.