Short Course 4 - Short Course on the Business of Publication Management

In a rapidly changing business environment, it is more important than ever for publication managers to understand the business implications of changing dynamics. Understanding basics in finance and strategic planning are critical to new product assessment, product evolution, and portfolio management. In other words, this is not your grandma’s editorial shop! Further, possessing these business skills when coming from an editorial background gives people a leg up in earning those promotions and new roles in senior leadership positions. This course will cover the following topics:
• Finance 101: understanding the simplicity of a profit and loss statement and why you should have one for every product you manage
• Portfolio evaluation: time to get your head above journal-level strategy and think about the bigger picture
• New products: don’t have a portfolio of products? Have nowhere to cascade content to? We will talk about how to evaluate what you have, what you are losing, and how to make the pitch for a new product or partnership
• Sales: what are you selling if you aren’t selling subscriptions
• The changing world of publishing partnerships and contracts: the rules of the game are changing. What does a publishing agreement even look like in a mostly APC-driven market?
• Workforce issues: Is your team properly resourced? Do you know how to fix that if there is no appetite for new positions? How might post-COVID workplace policies affect retention and recruitment of staff?
• Skilling up: How to approach your organization about building on these skills