This article describes how an independent commercial academic publisher initiated its electronic publishing programme. It outlines the range of electronic activities under development and some of the issues addressed during the creation of electronic resources. Case studies of two early projects are included: a multimedia teaching too, A Right to Die? The Dax Cowart Case; and an SGML textbase, the Arden Shakespeare CD-ROM. In addition, the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy is discussed as an example of the second generation of electronic projects at Routledge, highlighting lessons learned from previous projects and some of the issues relating to the production of a simultaneous print and electronic resource.