Whither print? staying nimble in the face of uncertainty

Abstract

The American Meteorological Society (AMS), a medium-sized nonprofit society publisher, found in 2005 that many institutional subscribers were still receiving one or more of its nine journals in print format only. Since the future of print is increasingly uncertain, the AMS recently implemented a pricing strategy that encourages the migration of institutions to electronic, or at least electronic-plus-print, subscriptions. The change has had the desired impact, with most institutions activating online access; however, a large number have continued to receive the journals in print despite an increasing price differential between online-only and online-plus-print subscriptions. Given this, the AMS plans to continue to offer the print option as long as it is economically viable to do so, and is working toward a pricing structure in which online-only subscribers do not subsidize the print product. © Keith L. Seitter and Kenneth F. Heideman 2009.