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Our vision
At Open Book Publishers we are changing the nature of the traditional academic book. Our books are published in hardback, paperback, pdf and ebook editions, but they also include a free online edition that can be read via our website, or embedded anywhere. We are proud to say that our online editions are currently being accessed by thousands of readers each month in over 120 countries. In addition, our digital publishing model allows us to extend our books well beyond the printed page. On our website, we produce online supplementary material, including extra chapters, reviews, links, image galleries and other digital resources
— these can be found on the individual product page for each book.
Open Access: the future of academic publishing
Researchers are realising that the high cost of academic books and journals means that only a select readership can access their work. Open Access (that is, making texts free to read online) helps spread educational materials to everyone, globally, not just to those who can afford it. It is increasingly becoming a requirement for publicly-funded research to be made available in Open Access format and we are able to achieve this quickly and effectively. Open Book Publishers, a signatory of the Budapest Open Access Initiative and participant in the OpenEdition project (http://www.openedition.org/), shows that an Open Access model of publishing can be sustainable.
Setting the research agenda
A great deal of valuable research is getting overlooked by publishers because it is in a field that is not considered to be commercially viable. Most academic jobs and promotions are now based on publishing record, so this means that the academic presses have a huge amount of power in setting our research agenda. Open Book Publishers' non-profit ethos means that we are able to choose titles based on academic merit alone.
We take the refereeing process very seriously to ensure our publications are of the highest academic standard. All book proposals and final manuscripts are peer-reviewed by at least two specialists within the relevant field.
After a first screening of the book proposal (with the help of our Advisory Board if appropriate) authors are invited to submit the complete or near-complete manuscript for assessment. We then ask at least two experts in the field to produce a detailed report within three months. We invite peer-reviewers to be highly selective and choose only manuscripts of excellence. On the basis of the referees' reports the three directors decide whether to approve the manuscript for publication. Once the manuscript is accepted we ask authors to consider referees' recommendations. Depending on how substantial these revisions are, we may ask the peer-reviewers to read the final manuscript for any additional comments or questions.
Printed editions
Besides our digital and online editions, with their many advantages, such as ability to search, we also offer printed books that provide the many other traditional advantages which readers rightly value. In our experience, the two media, that are designed for the convenience of different kinds of readers, complement one another and are able to prosper together. We use print-on-demand technology to provide top quality paperback and hardback editions of each monograph at affordable prices. Our books are printed in the UK and the USA and can be ordered from any country. Any revenue we generate goes back into publishing more high-quality monographs.
Our future
All paper used by Open Book Publishers is SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative), and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) Certified. Book jacket paper is dual certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and SFI. All paper used for jackets is manufactured using electricity generated by renewable wind power. All books are printed on acid-free paper.