Economic Profit and Academic Publishing

Analysis Based on Editorial Production in 16 Countries in America

Abstract

Starting from the concept publishing model and applying a data analysis based on ISBN records in 16 American countries in a period of nine years (2013-2019), the paper argues that the production of academic books in the region does not respond, for the most part, to the interest of economic gain. Quite the opposite, it is shown that, progressively, the publishing agents not directly interested in commerce have been proportionally more relevant due to the number of titles related to academic subjects that they publish. Furthermore, this finding is supported by the increase in the publication of academic works whose editors classify, from the moment of their registration, as non-commercial.