Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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\ v BaSk a gfi i^jHs . - hBHhB Mooer University writers br By Cindy Dean Gam?cock Staff Writer The USC Press was organized as a department of USC in 1944 for the purpose of publishing scholarly and regional books on a non-profit basis. Capitalized partly by donations, partly by income from the sale of books and partly by university appropriations, the press is now among the oldest continuously-operating publishing houses in the Southeast and has been a member of the Association of American University Presses since 1948. uiiri iU !i? wneiner 11 s pornograpnic or not pornographic, if it's something that some people are going to say is pornographic there are usually other publishers who are going to publish it. Our business is not to publish what other people will publish. Our business is to pulish the things that other people won t publish," says Bob King, the Director of the University Press since 1966. A graduate from Cambridge who has worked with the New York University Press and the New York branch of Oxford University Press, King exhibits his "I love books" attitude with his "who publishes them before they're famous?" sentiments. If anyone thinks that he has a hot manuscript that the world is missing out on and would like to see his works roll off the presses, don't expect to see the pages of heartache hotel poetry or painstaking prose printed at the University Press. There are no printing machines. Says King. "We have nothing to do with university printing. We are a book publishing house. I would say to people who don't understand the difference between printing and publishing that the publisher pays the bills." Although the publisher pays the bills, the Univesity Press is not a profit-making organization. It has been in operation since 1944 for the purpose of publishing scholarly and regional books. "The essential difference between us and commercial publishers is that we don't have to make a profit. I have nothing against profit in people who manufacture automobiles or refrigerators, but when it comes to publishing serious books there is a great social need for more university presses.'' King is possibly a zealot on the subject of "serious books," not to the point of being fanatical, yet to the degree that anyone lugging a arsenal of abstruse books can appreciate. If you've been mistaken for beast of burden instead of a student, he understands just how you feel. King says, "I'm very unhappy with certain tendencies in the book .{gfgtfmtr*. i I t Kl^^^^cks a m^r^script. jji esa fieijjz eak into pu business. I am particularly disturbed by American textbookscollege textbooks." American textbook publishers tend to go in for massive books that are supposed to cover every aspect of the subject, and very often the result is a book that's too big and too bulky. "So many college textbooks are also badly written - by badly written I mean unnecessarily obscure. How many college textbooks have you ever read were written where the writer or editor had gone to some trouble to make the style pleasant? Shouldn't textbooks be written in civilized prose or should they all be written in this awful computer gobbledygook?" King is not suggesting that there should be a "see-Dick-see-Jane" metamorphosis but believes that "a great many people, once they U?..? n... J. 4 J i L. - I nave giauuaieu, never waul lU Uliy any more books because in college they've had the experience of dealing with great big, heavy, ugly, dull, over-priced books." King is also sympathetic towards the beginning novelist. Although the University Press specializes in certain scholarly areas like political science and international relations, marine biology and behavioral theory, there is also room for fiction. King explains the novels* dilemma."If you have written your first novel and you have no name, no reputation, it is much more difficult to get it published today than it was 30 years ago. "I think that university presses are going to be publishing more fiction because fiction is having trouble getting published by the commercial publisher unless it's terribly sensational, terribly sexy." The University Press is also an outlet for another type of writer. Says King, "There is a need in the world for other publishers who are going to bring out a book that is only going to sell 100 copies because some of the most important ideas in the world start that way. Look at Einstein's early work on relativitv. It was published in a tiny, obscure scholarly journal, but look what came from it." Another aspect that King focuses on is the southern style of presenting a view. "Most commercial publishers are in New York. One of the functions of linivopsihr nraeDAo lilra niira in tn U>utv> 01VJ p>?W?0 line VU19 ID W represent a different point of view on what's important. There are books about South Carolina that we will publish that no big commercial publisher would take interested in." The University Press publishes about 15 titles a year and is one of about 60 university presses. Compared to presses like Oxford ?9HH "/J "** f 4' .s \'\* * > t" s ' V, EBBM ,: 'Ml W^MM?1 s regional iblishing which publishes around 500 titles a uoqp if ic email PnmnapoH t n J W4* y &V iiJ IIUlli vvr other university presses in the Southeast it is medium in size. Fred Woodward, the marketing director responsible for sales and promotion since 1970, explains the process of getting a book published. "If we think we can sell enough copies so that we won't lose our shirts ? we expect to lose a sleeve or two ? then we'll write the project up and take it before a press committee, which is a group of faculty members appointed by the president. "They pass judgment ort everything we publish. If they give us the go-ahead then it goes through the editorial process. It's copy-edited and sent back to the author for his approval. When it comes back to us, the manuscript goes to the design and production department, where we have a book designer. "It's then put out on bids to printers-we usually get 3 bids. The book is printed by an outside source. We use Kingsport Press in i eiiucsstT, neriuige primers 111 Charlotte and Thomson-Shore in Michigan. "The book is printed over five to sometimes as long as 12 months on the production schedule. They are delivered to our warehouses and then, supposedly, I'll have the marketing underway. We handle all the order fulfillment here." Music libi music, no By Date Smoak Gamecock Staff Wrttsr Tho ITCr? Muoi/. I ik.om. ,?? a iiv uuv 1i11u1v LilUl dl lias 9U1U everyone interested in music. Its c any USC student or faculty membe equipment for listening and texts foi The library is self-contained; al except periodicals, are stored in < atmosphere is less formal thai libraries, due in part to its sp< Thomas Parkman, librarian for n< gets to know most of the clientele library ; his background in music is writer has had many stimulating c< him on various aspects of music. Although the material in the 1 toward the music major, non-mt much of interest here. The librar records, tapes, cassettes, score Parkman says, "We have everyth Alice Cooper." There is a small an folk music, and some jazz, which th to enlarge. But the main emphasis < what Parkman terms "the traditic music"; or what is sometimes in "classical" music. Parkman's doctrine is one of "ft that the library should be available give everyone what they need, whi he says. "There am always.roco Shipping books: Darry m&S&MmySm m "' / ,^^fifc ^V __^HB I ? \ Wp^H| ": : Madonna Gauthreaux de rary has servi n-music majo other materials needed t reason, a suggestion box library. "All suggestions ar ething to offer to says, "though it is imp< loors are open to materials suggested.'* r, and it features The music library is bud research. There are problems with i I of its material, scores have skyrocketed r< me location. The library is a growing one. 1 other campus library has nearly quadrup ecialized nature, years. This past spring, n # - - eariy iour years, acquired from the defunct that frequent the station, including some re excellent and this tually hopes to tape the libr onversations with order to preserve it. All students and faculty I ibrary is geared library. Books and scores c isicians will find items are non-circulating, y contains books, because they are b< s and reserves, musicologically valuable a / ? ? ? 4 ? mg irum oacn 10 print. Kecords do not < nount of rock and equipment is available for u e library is trying Although a temporary sh of the collection is study applicants has necces >n of Western Art at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays a correctly termed days, Parkman expects the to normal soon. The music lir use." He feels through Thursday from 8 ai to all; "We try to am to 5 prn, Saturday from ch is impossible,' The library is located on tl --'7. '": * :...-. -. " ' ' - , pH gSHv H ^^flhn FT ' - * - , vr.J '. . ' ^ signing cover ices for rs alike >y someone." For this has hwn nlnrpd in the e considered," Parkman )ssible to purchase all tgeted by the university. *ising prices; books and icently. Nonetheless, the Parkman said that the led in size in the last ten early 1100 albums were campus classical radio 1_ n 1 a* luiut*. rarxman eveiiary's record collection in lave access to the music an be checked out; some such as collected works, oth monetarily and nd in some cases out of circulate, but listening se in the library. ortage of qualified worksitated closing the library nd not opening on Saturt library hours to be back : library is open Monday n to 10 pm, Friday from 8 1-5 and Sunday from 6-10. he basement floor of Mc