LSE Press

Justin Clark and Lucy Ashworth have been appointed as Production Manager and Publishing Assistant in two new posts for LSE Press. Justin Clark has been working in academic publishing for over 18 years. He began his career at IOP Publishing in Bristol as a Production Editor, eventually being promoted to Senior Production Editor following a successful secondment as acting Production Team Manager at IOPP’s Washington DC office. After 7 years he left Bristol to spend a sabbatical year as a freelance production professional in Berlin, working for a range of companies including Copernicus Publications, before moving to London to further his publishing career. He moved on to role within the commercial sector, spending a year in production at SAGE Publishing, before making a conscious move back into society publishing, taking up the role of Head of Publishing Operations for the Microbiology Society. There he spent 6 years working to modernise the entire operation – improving production, peer review and platform operations, and building an in-house team, to take the society forward. Following another stint in the commercial sector, helping manage suppliers and processes for Emerald Publishing, he has now made another conscious move into non-profit open access university press publishing. He says, “I’ve been watching the emergence of the ‘new’ university press sector with great interest and jumped at the chance to build a new production operation from the ground up at the LSE Press, unencumbered by the technical debt and legacy process baggage that often hinders an older publishing company. I’m hoping we can build a lean, modern operation that punches above its weight in terms of author experience.” Clark also said, “I’m so pleased to be joining LSE Press as Production Manager at an important stage of its development. In order to scale up the operation and have more impact by publishing more high-quality open access content, the press needs a world-class production service in place and I’m excited to get started.” Justin Clark and Lucy Ashworth, pictured above. Lucy Ashworth has joined LSE Press as Publishing Assistant. She began her career in academic publishing at Facet Publishing, the publishing arm of CILIP (the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals), where she progressed from Publishing, Awards and Events Officer to Marketing Executive. In that role, she supported the promotion of specialist library sector publications, as well as CILIP events and the running of The Carnegies children’s book awards. Lucy holds a Master’s in Publishing from Kingston University and has previously completed internships with trade publishers such as Boldwood Books. She currently volunteers as a Communications Executive for The FLIP(Female Leadership in Publishing). She is now excited to deepen her experience in academic publishing and explore the world of open access. Ashworth says, “Open access is essential for promoting equity, transparency and collaboration. I’m proud to be joining LSE Press and contributing to work that puts research in the hands of everyone.” Sarah Worthington, Chair of LSE Press, commented: “Lucy and Justin’s backgrounds make them invaluable additions to our growing team. Their experience with leading institutional publishers in the open access publishing world mean they are ideally equipped to help us maintain the exceptional quality of our peer-reviewed books and journals while also delivering our ambitious 5-year strategic growth targets. I’m delighted to welcome them to LSE Press.” Managing Director Niamh Tumelty added: “We are delighted that Lucy and Justin have joined the team at LSE Press during this exciting phase of development of our open-access publishing list of books and journals. We can’t wait to see what they both achieve.” Clark and Ashworth join Philippa Grand, Head of Publishing, Alice Park, Managing Editor, and Elinor Potts, Communications Coordinator. The post Justin Clark and Lucy Ashworth recruited in new posts first appeared on LSE Press .

LSE Press has achieved a landmark one million downloads to date of books, monographs and journal articles. As the School’s non-profit, open access publisher, LSE Press publishes high quality, peer reviewed social science research that has the potential to influence academic debate, public policy and the broader conversation. Speaking to the LSE Alumni Network on the Press’s milestone 1,000,000 usages, LSE Press Chair, Professor Dame Sarah Worthington said: “This milestone is a remarkable achievement by the terrific team at LSE Press. It underscores the growing reach of LSE Press and helps highlight our mission of making high-quality social science research accessible to everyone through open access publishing. Reaching one million usages also confirms our view that there is a worldwide demand for rigorous academic content presented in an accessible way and reaffirms the commitment of LSE Press to broadening the reach of scholarly work.”  In 2024, LSE Press publications reached readers in 182 territories. The most popular title was Advanced Macroeconomics: An Easy Guide ed. Filipe Campante et al. with over 74,000 total usages at the final quarter. LSE Press author Professor Alexander ‘Sandy’ Pepper and Professor Sarmistha Pal speaking at the LSE Press symposium for open access week 2024 The publisher is home to two book series – the Royal Geographical Society’s book series and LSE Monographs on Social Anthropology. Recurring publications also include the Journal of Illicit Economies and Development, the Journal of Long-Term Care, LSE Public Policy Review, Philosophy of Physics and Economía LACEA Journal. Experts who have published with LSE Press include Terhi Rantanen, J. McKenzie Alexander, Patrick Dunleavy, and Mark Evans. Naila Kabeer’s book, Renegotiating Patriarchy, is shortlisted for the People’s Book Prize for Non-Fiction and has been described as “a masterpiece” by Duncan Green in From Poverty to Power and “a must-read” by Nusrat Jahan in The Daily Star Bangladesh. The open access collection, How Africa Trades, edited by David Luke, won the prestigious 2024 Business Council of Africa’s Business Book of the Year Award. The leading publishing house has secured publicity in outlets including The Times Literary Supplement, Arise News, The Guardian, The Bookseller, African Business Magazine, Investment Week and across the LSE Blog networks. LSE Press is a member of the Open Book Collective, the Independent Publisher’s Guild, the Open Institutional Publishing Association and collaborated with COPIM for the LSE event, “Crisis in higher education and the future of Diamond open access”. Professor J. McKenzie Alexander said: “I have been very impressed with LSE Press at every step of the process. Overall, my experience with LSE Press has transformed my expectations for how a publishing house should be run.” LSE Press author Professor J. McKenzie Alexander signs copies of his new book at the launch of The Open Society as an Enemy The post LSE Press passes landmark million book and journal downloads first appeared on LSE Press .

LSE Press are delighted to announce openings for two new positions: Publishing Assistant and Production Manager.  LSE is a world-leading social science research institution with global impact. LSE Press, based within LSE Library, is an open access publisher of social science books and journals. The Press plays a key role in the School’s wider commitment to open research, which is part of LSE’s Research for the World 2030 Strategy.  Established in 2018, the Press is undergoing a period of growth, with ambitions to establish itself as a publisher of choice in the social sciences and a champion of open social science practices. Since its launch the Press has published books covering a range of topics from both LSE and external authors and 5 journals. LSE Press publications demonstrate wide public engagement and growing the Press is one of the key objectives of the LSE Research Strategy. Student work is published through our Houghton Street Press imprint, both as part of taught programmes and as discrete student-led publication enterprises. The Press is managed by a small, dedicated Library team and a well-established Editorial Board, led by the newly appointed Chair of Editorial Board. Publishing Assistant Salary from £32,135 to £35,304 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £37,641 pa inclusive of London allowance To support our growth plans, we are now recruiting a Publishing Assistant who can provide administrative support to ensure the smooth day to day running of Press activities and help us provide outstanding customer service to our authors. Reporting to the Head of Publishing, the role will provide support across our books and journals programmes and over the whole publication lifecycle, including commissioning, comms and production. The role would suit someone looking for their first job in academic publishing, who is keen to develop a broad knowledge across publishing functions and gain a strong understanding of the vibrant non-profit open access publishing sector. The postholder will need to be flexible and possess a positive, proactive attitude and approach to working in a busy team. We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities. For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification. To apply for this post, please go to www.jobs.lse.ac.uk. If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Philippa Grand, Head of Publishing, at p.j.grand@lse.ac.uk.   The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 8th December 2024 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications. Interviews are scheduled to take place during the week beginning 6th January 2025.. Production Manager Salary from £42,429 to £50,656 pa inclusive with potential to progress to £54,295 pa inclusive of London allowance LSE Press is now undergoing a period of growth and we are looking to appoint an experienced, dynamic and detail-oriented Production Manager. This is a new role and the postholder will take a lead in establishing a high-quality production service, focused primarily on books, with oversight of our journals programme also.   The postholder has responsibility for overseeing the entire book production process from manuscript acceptance to publication. Working with colleagues, they will develop our production workflows, standards and guidelines. They will be responsible for liaising with external publishing partners, suppliers and authors to ensure high quality outputs, delivered to agreed schedules and budgets, and take a lead on new initiatives e.g., experimental/enhanced book publications or new accessibility requirements. The postholder will work with our publishing partners to ensure a cost-effective and efficient workflow for our journals programme, reviewing practices regularly as required.   This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of LSE Press and play a key role in helping us achieve our ambitions to establish the Press as a publisher of choice in the social sciences and a champion of open social science practices.  We offer an occupational pension scheme, generous annual leave, hybrid working, and excellent training and development opportunities. For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification. To apply for this post, please go to www.jobs.lse.ac.uk. If you have any technical queries with applying on the online system, please use the “contact us” links at the bottom of the LSE Jobs page. Should you have any queries about the role, please email Philippa Grand, Head of Publishing, p.j.grand@lse.ac.uk. The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 16th December 2024 (23.59 UK time). Regrettably, we are unable to accept any late applications.  Interviews are scheduled to be held during the week of 20th January 2025.For further information about the post, please see the how to apply document, job description and the person specification. The post LSE Press welcomes applications for Publishing Assistant and Production Manager roles first appeared on LSE Press .

LSE Press is delighted to join the Open Book Collective’s community of librarians, open infrastructure services, and Diamond open access publishers! As the London School of Economics and Political Science’s institutional publisher, LSE Press is committed to advancing knowledge for public benefit through publishing high-quality social science research that has the potential to influence academic debate, public policy and the broader conversation. The press supports authors in developing books and journals that align with LSE Press’ mission to improve society by fostering an understanding of social, economic, and political challenges. This mission is reflected in its guiding principles: promoting rigorous social science research, enabling innovative publications, and ensuring free, global access to knowledge. LSE Press’s academic publications are published through a Diamond open access publication model. LSE Press’s decision to join the Open Book Collective enables the wider community of librarians, open infrastructure services, and Diamond open access publishers to co-create a vibrant and sustainable for LSE Press’ long term future.   By joining the OBC, LSE Press strengthens its commitment to an open access future, fostering partnerships that prioritise bibliodiversity, fair funding models, and collective support over competition. The OBC envisions a diverse and sustainable future for open-access books, and member publishers like LSE Press are essential to achieving this goal. Through its collaborative structure, the OBC provides a trusted platform where libraries can support OA initiatives and where authors and readers can explore a wide range of accessible, high-quality content. The OBC envisions the creation of a diverse and sustainable future for OA Books and publisher members are crucial to that. We believe in collectivism, non-competition, and the rejection of Book Processing Charges. The OBC unites a range of OA presses and publishing initiatives that fit our membership criteria, creating a trusted group of OA initiatives for libraries to support, and for authors and readers to explore. In this way, the OBC assists publishers in securing sustainable revenue streams to fund a fair and diverse future for OA books. If you are a publisher working in line with OBC’s values and are interested in learning more and joining the OBC to strengthen the community of OA initiatives and access collective funding, feel free to contact our outreach team or apply directly. If you are a library interested in finding out more about the Open Book Collective, get in touch with the collective at info@openbookcollective.org  The post LSE Press joins the Open Book Collective  first appeared on LSE Press .