The Open Book Collective welcomes University of London Press

The Open Book Collective is delighted to welcome the University of London Press as a publisher member!

The University of London Press has a mission to ‘open up humanities research’. With a storied history in publishing, they are an integral part of the School of Advanced Study, University of London where they have collaborated closely with esteemed humanities Institutes and publishing partners, offering a range of series and over 750 published books to date.

In recent years, University of London Press has placed increasing emphasis on expanding its open access books program, with the press recently announcing that it has achieved nearly a million downloads of its books. Readers are encourage to browse their extensive collection of books and series, to explore the diverse subject areas covered by the press, and access the publishing-related training they offer.

University of London Press is one of three University Presses to join the OBC this month, with each offering a new Supporter Programme available for university libraries and other supporters to subscribe to. Supporters can subscribe to UoL Press’s programme for a term of 1 to 3 years, at a rate of between £700 and £1,200 per year (€800-€1,400; $950-$1,500), depending on the size/location of the supporting organisation. Its Supporter Programme can also be subscribed to via the OBC’s new University Press package, which combines the Supporter Programmes from all three of our University Press members.

The OBC is a charity working to deliver a diverse and sustainable future for open access books and publisher members are crucial to that. We believe in collectivism, non-competition, and the need to reimagine the funding of open access books, to move beyond a reliance on Book Processing Charges. The OBC gathers together a range of open access presses and publishing initiatives that fit our membership criteria, creating a trusted group of open access initiatives for libraries to support and for authors and readers to explore. In this way, the OBC assists publishers in securing sustainable revenue streams to fund a fair future for open access books.

If you are a publisher working in line with our values and are interested in learning more and joining the OBC to strengthen the community of open access initiatives and access collective funding, feel free to contact our outreach team or apply directly.

If you are a library interested in finding out more about the Open Book Collective, get in touch with us at [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!