The harsh world of new technologies: could ""Naukova dumka"" have survived?

The reasons behind the gradual decline and eventual cessation of activity of Naukova Dumka – arguably the oldest state publishing house in Ukraine – are examined in the broader context of the current state of Ukrainian academic science, the transformations in both global and domestic academic publishing, the inevitable impact of digital technologies on the publishing industry, and the pressing need to develop and apply PR strategies and effective methods for promoting academic books. Having started its work 102 years ago and having gone through various historical periods alongside the country, Naukova Dumka was long considered «a highly professional publishing institution with outstanding editorial schools across various scientific fields». However, this proved insufficient in the face of chronic underfunding, especially of its “parent” institution – the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Moreover, the publishing house failed to properly integrate into the new system of media technologies, evidently overestimating the strength of the conservative academic tradition. Could the closure of this authoritative institution – more than just a well-known, recognizable brand, but a true “factory” of high-quality scholarly and reference publications – have been avoided? That question now belongs to history. A history that must not be repeated in the professional destiny of other publishing houses that, in today’s challenging times, continue to produce scholarly literature and must therefore more actively implement the unrealized opportunities that Naukova Dumka lost for various reasons (this includes, in particular, thorough research and segmentation of the potential readership; parallel preparation and sale of electronic versions of publications; active presence of the publishing house on social media; ongoing engagement in the life of the academic community, and so on.).

Keywords: science, scholarly book publishing, publishing, media technologies, marketing, promotion, PR communications, PR strategies, advertising, social networks.

doi: 10.32403/0554-4866-2025-1-89-165-175