University publishers sell facts. They sell information. They sell opinions and theories. Until recently, that was all packaged in a bound book, but we all know that model is changing. Now, content is consumed on tablets and screens, as well as books. While a lot of the old publishing houses are sitting on mountains of information, they struggle to change the model for delivering it.
A thread running through all of that is their online presence, or lack of it. Without a robust digital home, the struggle to sell their information gets even harder. The big retailers have poured huge amounts of money into their websites, and most have the revenue to show for it.
Websites need to be viewed as a product, not simply as a place to sell other products. The information for sale is a part of that product.