What role can publishing play in creating a fairer society? In this personal reflection, Alison Shaw shares lessons from 36 years of publishing for social justice – from building Policy Press and Bristol University Press to championing the role of evidence, accessibility and public good.
As I hand over the reins to the talented Kathryn Earle and retire as CEO, Bristol University Press (BUP) and I are both at a transition point.
This is a very significant change for me, and at the same time a fabulous opportunity for the Press to develop and thrive under Kathryn’s inspiring leadership. I am so proud of all that our brilliant, dedicated team has achieved, and I am certain this is just the beginning. I am excited to see what happens next.
From then to now
I have had the most amazing career at the University of Bristol, starting a small social policy dissemination unit in 1989 (SAUS Publications), then the policy and practice-orientated Policy Press in 1996, and finally Bristol University Press spanning the social sciences, law and business in 2016. It is not often we get the opportunity to build one venture, never mind three. I am extremely grateful to the University for giving me the space, and latterly the investment, to do this. As we mark the 10th anniversary of BUP, and Policy Press’s 30th, this is an appropriate point to celebrate our achievements, and I would encourage you to check out our anniversary brochure to find out more.
When starting Policy Press, I didn’t anticipate that we could create such a well-respected, well-loved and globally recognised publisher. Social and public policy was a specialist area that went under the radar for many publishers, but for me it was important as I was committed to supporting positive social change. Social policy and practice have a tangible impact, for good or bad, on individual lives; particularly for those who lack the privileges that many people enjoy. Policy Press has thrived, now as an imprint of BUP, and it has a special position in the social policy and practice community.
In establishing BUP, we expected that authors in new disciplines might prefer a more traditional university press model. We were wrong, and I am delighted that it was our commitment to social, environmental and economic justice that attracted them. After just eight years of publishing both scholar-led and challenge-led research, BUP is now embedded in ten new communities from the traditional social science disciplines of Sociology, Politics and International Relations to more interdisciplinary and fast-moving lists like Science, Technology and Society, Business and Management, and Environment and Sustainability.
Throughout every stage of development, our purpose has been to publish research, evidence and critical thinking that can help improve lives while promoting equity, sustainability and broader public good.
What matters most
‘Publishing with a purpose’ is a long-used phrase at the Press and it has summed up our mission throughout. It is as relevant today as when we started.
Individually, we are on this planet a very brief time, and contributing positively while we are here is important to me. Since my early 20s I have kept returning to a passage from a 1905 essay by Bessie A. Stanley (misattributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson). It sums up for me the contribution we can all make in our own small way.
To laugh often and much
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
This captures the power of the individual to make a difference, and that is what I see played out daily across the Press. Our team members across all the decades have been committed to our social and scholarly purpose. They care about what the Press stands for, what it is aiming to do and, importantly, how we do it. Their focus on mutual respect, compassion and service is what makes them stand out. People and relationships matter significantly, and I am so honoured to have worked with so many committed and talented people.
Something colleagues have heard me say repeatedly is that we don’t create our products, our authors do, and so we should never take them for granted. Authors – journal contributors and book authors – are our lifeblood. Our author support has had to evolve as we have grown, but supporting our authors and wider community of editors, reviewers and board members remains central to the decisions we make as a business. Knowing we have helped enhance our authors’ work and enabled their content to reach into nearly every country around the world is deeply satisfying.
We are an organisation that is highly values-driven, collaborative and consultative. This approach has been fundamental to the development of the Press. I have tried to demonstrate proactive leadership that listens and learns, and encourages a strong sense of purpose and continuous improvement. Although this approach can sometimes slow decision making, I believe it creates stronger relationships and greater trust within the team and in our relationships with our partners, customers and service providers.
In a recent article, I suggested some lessons for university press publishing based on our experience and I discussed the contribution of the University of Bristol to our success. In the early days it was trusting us to make our way as Policy Press without top-down pressure, and in the latter ten years it has been the financial investment provided to create and build BUP and to support us through a year of market turbulence. Without this flexible backing we would not be where we are today and I am extremely grateful for that trust and the support shown to me personally and to the Press. It is our responsibility to be an international ambassador for the University, enhancing its reputation for addressing the planet’s most vital global challenges, and I believe we fulfil this.
Why support university press publishing?
University Press (UP) publishing brings a unique opportunity for scholarly and social missions to thrive together and contribute to new ways of thinking, learning and doing. Ensuring that the impact of our work goes beyond academia is fundamental to our organisation and it has been extremely gratifying to see policy and practice evolve influenced by our work.
If research is to improve lives, we need to have ways for it to reach those who cannot afford to purchase it, and particularly for those who can use it to drive social change. A major change during my career has been the advancement of open access (OA) as a means to democratise knowledge. This is something we have fully embraced, and our OA content has been downloaded over 5.5 million times across 196 countries. We are also proud to partner with Research4Life, which makes all our content available free or at minimal charge to 120 low-and middle-income countries.
BUP is housed on campus and we are embedded within our host university which is common for many UPs. Through this close relationship, we experience and understand the challenges and opportunities of international higher education (HE). As is evident, the HE sector is under financial strain and it is as important for university presses to demonstrate fiscal responsibility and financial sustainability as it is to deliver mission. We must find new revenue streams to replace some traditional ones as library budgets continue to be reduced.
Publishing is a complex business shaped by many factors both within and beyond our control. Good author care, rigorous quality control and effective impact work comes at a price. University presses focus on serving their communities rather than shareholder profits, and at a time when evidence is often contested, the role of the UPs has never been more important. I would encourage all scholarly communities to work with, promote and buy content from UPs to help ensure robust, independent scholarship can thrive. We can’t match the infrastructure of the multinationals, but we will always provide high-quality, fully peer-reviewed evidence and critical thought that our communities can trust.
Over my career, I have seen a phenomenal amount of technological change – from the first PCs and email to digital publishing and AI. At every point of change there have been predictions of major – even catastrophic – disruption. Technology alters what we can achieve and how we work, but we adapt and new norms emerge. I am positive about the future as long as the new tools we create are appropriately regulated and utilised, and predominantly serve a social good, not a social harm. This unfortunately takes time.
There are challenges ahead for UPs on many fronts. However, I have a strong faith in the power of our sector to collaborate and find solutions. UPs in the UK, Europe and North America, from the new small OA presses to the 400-year-old established publishers, are actively working together to seek answers to these challenges for the benefit of the scholarly community and their own host universities.
What has surprised and delighted me is just how generous publishing colleagues are, from the earliest days of Policy Press to now, as I retire. I will most definitely miss all the stimulating, thought-provoking, supportive and kind members of our UP community and beyond who have inspired and supported me and helped me learn and grow.
Farewell but not goodbye
It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with so many fabulous colleagues and partners over the years, and most importantly, our talented and dedicated team members past and present who have made BUP and Policy Press. Together we have published many thousands of articles and books that have helped shape scholarship, policy and practice.
It still feels a little daunting to be stepping away, but it is time for Kathryn and the team to take the Press to new heights and for me to spend time working in the garden before deciding what projects to get involved in next.
I believe that publishing can help make the world a little better, and I am very fortunate to have spent my career working with people who share that belief and commitment.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make the past 36 years so fulfilling, enjoyable and meaningful.
Alison Shaw is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol University Press.
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog site are solely those of the original blog post authors and other contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Policy Press and/or any/all contributors to this site.
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