Donna Shear, who has been interim director of Northwestern University Press since last spring, has been selected to lead the struggling publishing house as it tries to stabilize revenues and publish more books by NU authors.
Shear, who previously was NU Press’ associate director and chief financial officer, was one of three finalists from a field of 46 candidates, said University Librarian David Bishop, who oversees NU Press.
After going through three interviews, Shear was selected by an “overwhelming consensus among all the groups,” Bishop said.
Shear has taken over NU Press during a turbulent. Last year it posted losses exceeding its $577,000 university subsidy by $300,000 and faced restructuring or possible closure.
But this fall NU Press encountered a windfall as the only English-language publisher of Imre Kertesz, winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize.
“We’re doing very well in the short term, but it’s not going to solve anything in the long run,” Bishop said.
Shear’s long-term goal is to align NU Press with NU’s strengths as a University.
Shear said NU Press is developing relationships with departments throughout the university. It has published the Tony Award-winning play “Metamorphoses” by NU performance studies Prof. Mary Zimmerman and plans to put out three more of her works.
Bishop said Shear’s goals are consistent with the direction university administrators decided to take when reviewing it last fall.
Shear said NU Press also is publishing fewer books in subject areas that haven’t performed well and has put together a spring portfolio that “has been very well received.”
Bishop said there is an increased interest in books that are geared toward a smaller, local audience — a strategy that might help the press become more commercially successful.
Neither Bishop nor Shear expect the Press to ever break even, but their financial goal is to keep expenses at or below the $577,000 subsidy. NU Press publishes 50 to 60 books each year, Shear said, and most smaller university presses do not break even.
“We want to set it up so the press doesn’t lose an unacceptable amount of money,” said Bishop.
