Presses under pressure 1

Your critique of UK academic publishers was an unsettling read ("Publish and be ignored", 24 April).

You ignored the vast majority of publishers operating creatively to bring specialised books to a specialised market. Sales within the academic sector tend not to happen through glossy ad campaigns and high-profile reviews but through targeted marketing and controlled metadata - that is, correct bibliographics and subject coding, particularly for search engine optimalisation.

Perhaps publishers fall short in assuming a level of insider knowledge about the process that authors may not possess. Why not provide a real service through articles on recent industry challenges such as consolidation and homogenisation of publishing houses and retail outlets; the breakdown of territorial restrictions and problems caused by the weak dollar; and copyright in the electronic age?

Kathryn Earle, Managing director, Berg Publishers, and vice-chair, Independent Publishers Guild

Anne Beech

Managing director, Pluto Press, and chair, Academic and Professional Special Interest Group, Independent Publishers Guild.