23 July 2024
Effective 1 August 2024, Amsterdam University Press (AUP), will be responsible for the production, marketing and sales of all titles published by Central European University Press (CEU Press), as well as completing existing projects and commissioning new titles.
The partnership between CEU Press and AUP is designed to promote output and growth for both presses. For CEU Press, partnering with the bigger AUP will help scale growth more efficiently, open new markets, and offer appeal to a broader author community. For AUP, a stronger connection to Central Europe dovetails with its focus of becoming more active in continental Europe in terms of commissioning and sales reach. The partnership will enable the publication of a broad range of research from an international author base and promote the global importance of both presses.
Shalini Randeria, CEU's President and Rector, said: “The CEU Press is an internationally recognized and trusted brand. We see this partnership as an exciting and strategic step towards increasing its publication program, thereby widening its reach, and enhancing its ability to make a significant impact in the global academic community.”
Frances Pinter, Executive Chair of CEU Press, said: “We are committed to our exciting new publishing programme as well as our backlist. We have made considerable strides in the last few years in modernising the Press with our Opening the Future open access initiative. We are proud of our authors who have taken this journey with us. The partnership with AUP will help us to take on new publishing ventures, such as creating Open Educational Resources like The History of Migration and managing the SUPRR project (Supporting Ukrainian Publishing Resilience and Recovery), which is currently underway.”
Jan-Peter Wissink, Managing Director of AUP, said: “I am proud that AUP will represent CEU Press in the international academic community. We look forward to working with Central European University, a mission-driven university with values at its core - justice, equality, liberal democracy, academic freedom, and rule of law - which are also essential for AUP. In the current climate with democracy and academic freedom under pressure, it is of great importance that the CEU Press continues to facilitate scholarly communication and support the dissemination of innovative research. The combined lists will consist of a backlist of around 2,600 titles, a frontlist of nearly 200 titles and 50 journals, creating an excellent starting position for further growth, a stronger presence in core subject areas within the Humanities and Social Sciences and fertile ground for innovative Open Access initiatives.”
Jörg Persch, Managing Director of AUP Germany and USA, and the new Managing Director of CEU Press, said: “This partnership is a significant milestone in AUP’s strategy to expand its activities in Central Europe, and it converges with plans to grow, diversify, and strengthen its own programme. The partnership will open up many avenues for continued growth and new initiatives for both parties.”