A publisher associated with a university or college. University presses do not publish college newspapers, yearbooks, or course notes. They are publishers who acquire, develop, produce, and sell books and journals. However, unlike commercial publishers driven by a profit motive, the mission of a university press is to publish works of scholarly, intellectual, or creative merit. As a result, many of the books published by university presses are intended for scholars or other people involved in specific fields of research. Nevertheless, many university presses print books of a more general interest, in addition to scholarly books. These may be books of history, poetry, fiction translated from other languages, or simply books of regional interest. As mainstream publishers concentrate increasingly on best-selling books, they leave more titles and subject areas open for the university presses. As a result, one can find general interest titles from university presses, as well as bestsellers, at the local bookstore. Because university presses serve the public good by disseminating knowledge, they are granted not-for-profit status. See also ACADEMIC REPRINT PUBLISHER
A publishing house affiliated with a sponsoring university. The university press is generally nonprofit and subsidized by the respective university. Generally, university presses publish noncommercial scholarly nonfiction books written by academics, and their lists may include literary fiction, criticism, and poetry. Some university presses also specialize in titles of regional interest, and many acquire projects intended for commercial book-trade distribution.
A university press is an academic, nonprofit publishing house that is typically affiliated with a large research university. It produces mainly scholarly works. Because scholarly books are mostly unprofitable, university presses may also publish trade books, textbooks, and reference works, which tend to have larger audiences and sell more copies.