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FAQs
What is Open Access?
A work is considered to be Open Access when it is available to read for free in its entirety, without any restriction on who can access it.
Academic books are expensive. In the UK, they currently retail at an average of around £50 meaning that, for the most part, only well-endowed university libraries can afford to buy them. A great deal of valuable research is therefore unavailable to most readers, with students in developing countries being particularly disadvantaged. Open Access means that everyone, everywhere can have the same access to quality educational material.
Doesn't Open Access leave authors without an income?
Unlike novelists or other professional writers, the vast majority of academics do not write books to make money. Academics' funding comes from their university and research grants, and royalties on academic books are usually negligible. Most scholars publish books so that people can read and engage with their ideas; Open Access means that more people will be able to do just that.
Unlike novelists or other professional writers, the vast majority of academics do not write books to make money. Academics' funding comes from their university and research grants, and royalties on academic books are usually negligible. Most scholars publish books so that people can read and engage with their ideas; Open Access means that more people will be able to do just that.
Does being an Open Access publisher mean that you publish anything?
No! We only publish books that make it through our extremely rigorous peer review process. Like most other academic presses, all our books are read and assessed by at least two experts in the field at both the proposal and manuscript stage.
Why do you charge for your PDFs when you are committed to Open Access?
If my book is published as Open Access does that mean it can more easily be plagiarised?
No. All the same rules of plagiarism apply to Open Access books.
Does an Open Access book count towards the RAE/REF assessments for UK research?
Yes. A book published by us is seen as exactly the same as a non-Open Access book.
How do you keep the prices of your paperbacks and hardbacks so low?
The internet has revolutionised the way publishers can operate. We use print-on-demand technology, which means we have no wasted print runs. All our staff work in a ‘virtual’ office, which keeps our overhead costs down. We have a network of volunteers who generously give their time, and we have been assisted along the way by donations from individuals and grant-giving bodies who support our Open Access mission.
No! We only publish books that make it through our extremely rigorous peer review process. Like most other academic presses, all our books are read and assessed by at least two experts in the field at both the proposal and manuscript stage.
We need to charge a small fee for our PDFs to offset our production costs. We are a non-profit company and charge very little for our printed books, so PDFs are a vital revenue source to help us keep our books affordable and free online. In the future we aim at raising enough income from grants and sales to stop charging for PDFs. One of our titles, The Digital Public Domain, has a free PDF thanks to an EU grant. Another, Oral Literature in Africa, has a free PDF and ebook thanks to a successful crowd-funding campaign. All our books are free to read in their entirety on our website.
Which of your electronic editions are compatible with my particular device?
You can find a chart listing most electronic reading devices and their compatibility with our different formats here.
If my book is published as Open Access does that mean it can more easily be plagiarised?
No. All the same rules of plagiarism apply to Open Access books.
Does an Open Access book count towards the RAE/REF assessments for UK research?
Yes. A book published by us is seen as exactly the same as a non-Open Access book.
How do you keep the prices of your paperbacks and hardbacks so low?
The internet has revolutionised the way publishers can operate. We use print-on-demand technology, which means we have no wasted print runs. All our staff work in a ‘virtual’ office, which keeps our overhead costs down. We have a network of volunteers who generously give their time, and we have been assisted along the way by donations from individuals and grant-giving bodies who support our Open Access mission.
Will you publish my book?
We publish academic books in all disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences. If your manuscript passes our tough peer review process, we will almost certainly publish it. If you are unsure of whether your book is right for us, please email Alessandra Tosi (a.tosi@openbookpublishers.com). More information for authors, including our downloadable book submission guidelines, is available here.
What does the future hold for Open Book Publishers?
We envisage a world in which all research is freely available to all readers. As well as continuing to publish our high-quality academic books, we are starting to help institutions, academic groups, other publishers and journals move to an Open Access model. Ultimately, we are aiming to become the primary UK Open Access hub for peer-reviewed research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.
What does the future hold for Open Book Publishers?
We envisage a world in which all research is freely available to all readers. As well as continuing to publish our high-quality academic books, we are starting to help institutions, academic groups, other publishers and journals move to an Open Access model. Ultimately, we are aiming to become the primary UK Open Access hub for peer-reviewed research in the Humanities and Social Sciences.