10 July 2026
Alison Shaw, FAcSS, CEO, Bristol University Press
Developing publishing at the University of Bristol with our team over the past 36 years has been a great privilege. As I retire and handover the reins to our new CEO, Kathryn Earle, and we reach Policy Press’ 30th anniversary and Bristol University Press’ (BUP’s) 10th, I have been reflecting on what we learned.
Our story starts when I developed a small social policy research dissemination unit in 1989 at the School for Advanced Urban Studies (SAUS). From that modest beginning, in 1996 we created Policy Press with a mission to publish research to inform policy.
Phase one: creating a specialist press
In its first year Policy Press published one book, 14 research reports and a journal, with turnover of £200,000 including SAUS Publications backlist. It was UK-focused and served a niche that larger publishers mainly ignored. Mainstream publishers prioritised textbooks and journals with repeatable revenues. A mission-led, not-for-profit press focused on impact beyond academia was unique and welcomed by our community.
The early years focused on putting the basics in place. We built lists, developed partnerships with research funders and NGOs, focused on author service and established sales and distribution channels. By the mid-2000s 25% of our revenue came from partnerships.
Our first major pivot happened when research funders became able to publish their own outputs. We had to diversify: quickly expanding our lists and formats, investing in new journals, expanding international markets, and entering early digital aggregation with OUP’s UPSO. The goal was to spread the risk and build a more sustainable model whilst maintaining our social justice principles.
By 2016, Policy Press had grown to £1.6 million turnover, publishing 120 books and 7 journals. We were thrilled to win the IPG Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year as we hit our 20th anniversary. With a new Vice-Chancellor at Bristol, opportunities were on the horizon.
Phase two: becoming an international university press
The creation of Bristol University Press in 2016 was a fundamental change. Policy Press had built a very strong reputation, but to thrive long-term we needed lists with greater international reach and longer commercial life. Just as importantly, the University now appreciated that a press aligned to its strategic priorities would be an asset.
Our business plan for BUP reversed our growth model. Instead of building slowly and organically, we sought investment to scale quickly. Initial five-year funding was agreed in July 2016 and we started work in August.
This meant expanding the team rapidly, launching multiple new discipline lists, establishing new workflows and systems, building a brand from scratch while continuing to run Policy Press – which became an imprint of BUP – and trying to preserve the integrity and culture that had underpinned our success.
It was challenging, exciting and exhausting. But it paid off and in 2024 we won the IPG Academic and Professional Publisher of the Year award again, this time for BUP.
Today, BUP publishes over 250 books, 25 journals and has its own platform BUP Digital. Our turnover is heading towards £4 million, with sales and open access engagement across 196 countries. Strong word-of-mouth recommendations from authors, librarians and publishing colleagues continue to drive our growth and reputation.
Phase 3: investment, community and market challenges
One of the most important parts of this story is institutional investment. For 20 years Policy Press operated without direct financial support from the University. The launch of BUP, and the investment behind it, was transformative. It enabled us to build scale, visibility and international reach far more quickly than otherwise possible.
However, it also changed the nature of our relationship with the University. Taking investment and carrying the University’s name shifted our emphasis from being highly independent-minded, to ensuring we are also supporting institutional strategy alongside our scholarly communities. In addition to our Business Advisory Board, we established an Editorial Board and an International Library Advisory Board both of which have been invaluable sources of advice, support and challenge. They help keep us connected to our scholarly and library communities.
Our commitment to editorial independence remains, however, financial support brings exposure to institutional financial realities. We learned that lesson the hard way when market challenges contributed to an unplanned loss at a time of broader fiscal consolidation. University support was required, reflecting both the realities of the market and the University’s ongoing commitment to the Press. It was a difficult reminder that even well-managed organisations are vulnerable to external pressure. Thankfully, actions taken in response have strengthened our position again.
Lessons for a start-up university press
Looking back across three decades, a few lessons stand out.
1. Purpose and support matter
University presses exist for reasons that are not purely financial: advancing knowledge, enhancing reputation, expanding international influence and delivering impact beyond academia. Universities can, and do, outsource publishing. Demonstrating the non-financial value of a university press therefore matters hugely, even if it is difficult to measure.
BUP is driven by a strong social as well as scholarly mission and this shapes our vision and values. This is demonstrated every day in what we do and how we do it. Purpose matters.
Institutional support can be transformative. Without it, BUP would not be what it is today. But support creates dependencies and expectations. Managing the university relationship through communicating value, maintaining trust, and navigating financial headwinds is core to running a university press.
2. Strategy is essential, but adaptability is critical
We always create mid-range strategic plans, with clear financial frameworks and regular review. That discipline has been invaluable. But some of our biggest changes – loss of partnership income, digital disruption, COVID-related delivery problems – were impossible to predict.
Strategy guides, it does not dictate. The ability to pivot quickly is as important as the plan itself.
3. Scaling is harder than it looks
Rapid growth puts pressure on systems, processes and culture. Implementation is where strategy succeeds or fails, so small teams must prioritise. We headed into too many operational improvement projects simultaneously, and as projects rarely go exactly to plan, this was a challenge. Choose carefully what to invest in, what to simplify and what to let go.
Building new lists takes more time than you think. Success depends on talented staff, authors willing to entrust their work to a new venture, and the press team delivering on their promises. We remain extremely grateful for those that took that first step.
4. People and culture are the bedrock
Relationships are foundational. Maintaining a supportive, values-driven culture is vital. It becomes harder as organisations grow but is ever more important. Without our staff, authors, editors, reviewers, librarians, partners and service providers we are nothing. Treat everyone respectfully.
Looking ahead
The challenges facing scholarly publishing are well rehearsed: constrained library budgets, evolving open access models, and the potentially profound implications of AI on trust and evidence.
We have navigated many significant disruptions and found ways not only to survive but to thrive. I believe that remains possible, even exciting!
Structures, products and business models will evolve, but our core purpose of supporting positive social change remains. University presses are uniquely placed to work with scholarly communities to publish trusted, high-quality scholarship that shapes thinking and learning while contributing to wider social progress. I believe they will continue to play an essential role in the scholarly communication ecosystem.
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