Seminar for the 2018 STM advanced journals publishing course, Asia (Singapore)

1. image copyrights Moyan Brenn https://www.flickr.com/photos/aigle_dore/6365101775 CC-BY
Amsterdam
University
Press
Max Haring
m.haring@aup.nl
Sales: alternative business models
for journals

2. Outline
Why alternative business models?
– Impossible OA?
– Serials crisis
How to increase journal revenue?
– Spin-off products
– Cascading strategies
– Subsidy and sponsoring
– Services
2https://www.flickr.com/photos/gsfc/100266
03395/ CC-BY NASA/Goddard/Bill Hrybyk

3. Can you name successful OA Journals?
What do they have in common?
3

4. 4
Open Access journal challenges

5. Impossible OA?
5
Some OA journals work very well:
Others face more challenges:
In general, Open Access works well for:
- Large journals
- Broad scope and disciplines
- Low rejection rate
- Well-funded, high pressure to publish

6. Impossible OA?
6
In some disciplines OA works very well
- Science
- Medicine
- Technology
In other disciplines less so:
- Social Science
- Humanities
- Arts
“Monitoring the transition to open access” 2017 report Universities UK.

7. OA Journal finances – quick example
7
Journal finances:
Journal fixed costs (platform): € 10.000
Editorial costs per submission: € 100
Production costs per article: € 500
APC: € 1.000
100 submissions, 50 published (50% rejection rate)
Income: € 50.000
Costs: €10.000+(50x €500)+(100x €100) € 45.000
100 submissions, 25 published (75% rejection rate)
Income: € 25.000
Costs: €10.000+(25x €500)+(100x €100) € 32.500
25 submissions, 20 published (20% rejection rate)
Income: € 20.000
Costs: €10.000+(20x €500)+(25x €100) € 22.500

8. Open Access in HSS
8
Why OA is difficult in HSS:
- Less funding
- Small, specialized journals
- Less articles per author per year
- Less focus on quick data publishing
- Journal editors actively acquire submissions
- Less external funding = less mandates
- More university presses and societies
How to make OA journals work in HSS?
- (Green Open Access)
- Alternative business models (without APC)
https://www.careerguide.com/blog/various-type-of-social-sciences-and-
humanities-offered-in-canada-ug-level

9. 9
Subscription revenue also under pressure

10. Serials Crisis
10

11. Subscription revenue
11
Subscription revenue is under pressure
- Serials Crisis
- More research output
- Declining budgets
- Money is spent elsewhere (like OA)
- Growth only by market share
All publishers must grow revenue!
- Inflation
- Investment in new technology
- Shareholders, investors, owners
CC-BY Vmenkov Vitoria-University-Library-food-science-journals-
4490.jpg

12. 12
Alternative business models

13. 1. Spin-off products
13
Books
- Academic book series
- Reference works
- Educational books
- Popular books
Courses
- Society members
- Medical education
Other journals
Royal Statistical Society
… and 15 more!

14. 2. Cascading strategy
14
100
submissions
Accepted and published
25
75
Rejected
Bubble
s
The journal for
underwater
archaeology
Publish elsewhere
5025
Bubble
Report
s
Underwate
r Science
Would you like to transfer
your submission?
25
25
Accepted and published
Rejected

15. 3. Subsidy and Sponsoring
15
Subsidy
- Society members
- University, faculty, funders
- Editorial board
Sponsoring & advertising
- Conference supplements
- Adverts
- Access to readers/authors
For industry, pharma, anyone?...

16. 4. Services
Services for readers:
- Reprints
- Conference supplements
Services for authors:
- Language editing
- Certificates
- Posters etc.
Others:
- Conferences
- Alternative publication types (data, images)
- Management software
- Metrics 16

17. Conclusion
Open Access does not work for all journals
Subscription revenue is under pressure
All major publishers are looking at alternative revenue sources
In the Future: Can journals be completely free of charge?
17

18. 18
Thank you!