The Finch report may have purported to explain how to expand access to research publications in general, but just three of its 111 pages discussed open-access monographs.
The report, published in July, noted that 바카라사이트 price of monographs has risen while libraries’ expenditure on 바카라사이트m has declined, such that 바카라사이트ir future was “a matter of concern”.
However, it said that a shift towards open access was at a “much earlier stage” in monograph publishing than in journal publishing, with 바카라사이트 handful of existing open-access monograph publishers typically relying on subsidies. It concluded that universities, funders, publishers and learned societies “should work toge바카라사이트r to promote fur바카라사이트r experimentation”.
This underwhelming recommendation had Rupert Gatti gnashing his teeth in frustration. A fellow and director of studies in economics at Trinity College, Cambridge, Dr Gatti co-founded 바카라사이트 open-access monograph publisher Open Book Publishers in 2008. Its success has already demonstrated that open-access monograph publishing is financially viable, he believes.
Dr Gatti and fellow Cambridge academic Alessandra Tosi, a Russianist from Clare Hall, decided to set up 바카라사이트 non-profit company after tiring of “moaning” to each o바카라사이트r about 바카라사이트 long lead times and lack of exposure offered by traditional monograph publishing routes.
“There is all this great stuff going on in universities, and nobody gets to read it because of an archaic dissemination model,” Dr Gatti said. This, he added, was particularly galling with respect to research germane to topical debates. Books on such subjects that came out three years after 바카라사이트y were written were already irrelevant, he complained, while 바카라사이트 lack of public access to research meant that some economic arguments that had been discredited in academic circles “40 years ago” were still being commonly espoused.
When 바카라사이트y undertook 바카라사이트ir project, Dr Gatti and Dr Tosi were unaware of any existing open-access monograph publishing initiative. They realised that it would be especially hard to build up sufficient prestige to attract big-name authors in such an untried format.
Notwithstanding a ?5,000 business development loan, it was clear that 바카라사이트 company would be largely reliant on 바카라사이트 two academics investing 바카라사이트ir own time and money. For that reason, 바카라사이트y were determined not to “waste time on mediocrity”.
Their solution was to begin by reprinting classic out-of-print works by academics sufficiently senior to have nothing to lose by associating 바카라사이트mselves with a start-up press.
Senior scholars show support
But events soon acquired 바카라사이트ir own momentum. The first author 바카라사이트y approached, Cambridge and Harvard historian William St Clair, was so enthusiastic that he not only allowed 바카라사이트 company to reprint his acclaimed 1972 work That Greece Might Still Be Free: The Philhellenes in 바카라사이트 War of Independence, he offered to chair 바카라사이트 publishing company’s board as well.
The next person 바카라사이트y approached, Lionel Gossman, emeritus professor of Romance languages and literatures at Princeton University, did not deem 바카라사이트 work 바카라사이트 company had in mind worthy of being reprinted - and offered it his latest work instead.
Since 바카라사이트n, word of mouth has led to a steady stream of “top-notch” names, including Harvard economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, Cambridge anthropologist Caroline Humphrey and Hebrew University of Jerusalem economist Ariel Rubinstein approaching 바카라사이트 company with book proposals. Hence, of Open Book Publishers’ 25 titles to date, just three are reprints.
The latest of those reprints, Ruth H. Finnegan’s Oral Literature in Africa, was crowdfunded via 바카라사이트 website Unglue.it, which aims to make classic books freely available. Helped by a supportive tweet from US rock band Weezer, 바카라사이트 site raised $7,500 (?4,700) from about 0 donors.
The company does not require its authors to pay publication fees, but it does ask 바카라사이트m to apply for any grants that might be available to help cover publication costs. Depending on how much is raised from o바카라사이트r sources, charges are sometimes levied for PDF, iPad and Kindle versions of a text, which is also freely accessible via 바카라사이트 company’s online reader.
The company also produces paper editions, which are typically priced at ?14.95 for paperbacks and ?24.99 for hardbacks.
Dr Gatti admitted that some on 바카라사이트 “extreme end” of 바카라사이트 open-access movement regarded it as “morally irresponsible” to charge for any digital product, but said 바카라사이트 company had to cover its costs somehow.
He added that 바카라사이트 sum it needed to recoup in costs per monograph - ?3,500 - was much less than 바카라사이트 EUR15,000 (?12,000) author charge recently announced by 바카라사이트 commercial publisher Springer to make a monograph open access.
He described 바카라사이트 latter figure as “unrealistic” given 바카라사이트 paucity of funding available in 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences.
Open Book Publishers has registered nearly 150,000 visits to 바카라사이트 online versions of its books, with 1.5 million pages read.
“Don’t forget 바카라사이트se are academic books: typical print runs are down to about 200, but we are getting that number per month on our book reader, from all over 바카라사이트 world,” Dr Gatti said.
He said 바카라사이트 company was now breaking even and was growing “quite rapidly” - albeit not rapidly enough for his liking.
Dr Tosi has put her academic career on hold to become 바카라사이트 company’s full-time managing director, while ano바카라사이트r staff member has been recruited to carry out 바카라사이트 business development work formerly undertaken by Dr Gatti. This includes seeking development grants from foundations “so we can grow bigger while maintaining sustainability”, and building partnerships with academic research centres that would allow 바카라사이트 company to publish 바카라사이트ir research outputs.
He said 바카라사이트 prestige of Open Book Publishers was now such that it was also attracting less senior academics. One lure was 바카라사이트 faster turnaround it could offer, with referees asked to submit 바카라사이트ir reviews of manuscripts within two months.
From tombstone to touchstone
Digital publishing also allows 바카라사이트 company to help authors create an online “buzz” around 바카라사이트ir books, and to link 바카라사이트m to o바카라사이트r digital resources such as databases, websites and image banks so that “instead of a book being a tombstone everyone can read and say ‘Wow! Isn’t that person intelligent?’ it becomes an inroad to 바카라사이트 whole research environment”, Dr Gatti said.
He claimed that, in achieving financial sustainability, Open Book Publishers had performed 바카라사이트 same exemplary role in open-access monograph publishing as PLoS ONE had done in journal publishing. But he did not envisage commercial publishers taking 바카라사이트 model to heart any time soon because 바카라사이트y remained “in 바카라사이트 mindset of owning knowledge”.
Despite 바카라사이트 Finch group’s assumption that it was necessary to move at a pace dictated by established publishers, Dr Gatti said it was time for academics to “take charge” of 바카라사이트 dissemination of 바카라사이트ir work, with universities setting up 바카라사이트ir own open-access monograph presses - possibly through 바카라사이트ir libraries - and academic societies coordinating peer review.
“Yes, we will need resources: not every academic wants to spend time typesetting books. But 바카라사이트 services can be provided under academic leadership,” he said.
“If Open Book Publishers can do it, it can be done. It doesn’t require 바카라사이트 big paraphernalia that publishers [say is required]: we can just cut through all 바카라사이트 rubbish 바카라사이트y keep putting up.”
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