1. Open Access at UC Press

2. Why is OA Important to UC Press?
• Current business models are unsustainable:
– Loss of c.$10,000 on the average monograph
– Massive shifts in dynamics of journals market
• It’s our institutional policy:
– UC Senate adopted OA mandate in spring 2013
• But most importantly, our mission is “to drive
progressive change…[by giving]
” to the scholarship we publish

3. Our Vision of a Better Future
• Take advantage of current technologies
• A collaborative/community model where costs, risks and benefits
are shared
• Increase discoverability, accessibility and usability
• Disaggregate and re-assemble publishing value chain
• Transparent standards for valuation of peer review
• Transparent standards for cost and profit

4. Digital Product Development Model

5. From Vision to Product: Journals
• Concept planning and research complete:
– Nearly 100 interviews with key stakeholders (faculty, librarians, senior
administrators)
– Identification and assessment of potential technology partners
– Development of business model
– Launch funds from our Venture Fund and external fundraising
• Key features of our OA journal model:
– Low non-profit publication charges
– Facilitates subsidy of poorer fields by well-funded ones
– Costs of different components of process are transparent
– Opens up peer review
• Key success metrics – usual journal metrics plus:
– Attain target article publication rates
– Generate cross-subsidies for disciplines without APC funding

6. From Vision to Business Model: Books
• Concept planning underway:
– Faculty focus groups; interviews with key decision-makers
– Potential technology partners identified
• Outline of model:
– Available OA in digital form (which formats?)
– Available for purchase via (outsourced) POD and in other
“for sale” digital formats such as Kindle
– Publication fee per title (shared model)
– All titles subject to the same thorough peer review and EC
approval

7. Unique Challenges for Monographs
• How do we ensure that the rigor of these titles is
recognized and that the academy will recognize their
scholarly legitimacy?
• How do we ensure that this is viewed as an attractive
publishing option for faculty, and not one of last
resort?
• Can we create a viable and sustainable funding
model by sharing the burden?
• What other tools/features might be attractive (e.g.
reviews, primary sources, multimedia etc.)?

8. Next Steps
• Finalization of business/product models
• Selection of technology partners
• Appoint editorial boards
• Launch both products in fall 2014
• Start publishing in spring 2015