Open access books

The open access books landscape is very diverse with several types of actors co-existing, ranging from commercial publishers, to university and learned society presses, and non-profit academic-led initiatives. Business models vary significantly too. While most publishers charge Book Processing Charges (BPCs), others are instead experimenting with different funding models, such as freemium models or library partnership subsidy models. The University of Groningen Library proudly supports some of these innovative initiatives , like Open Book Publishers, Punctum Books and Sandstone Press.

Would you like to better understand open access book publishing? Use the OA Books Toolkit.

Funding

BPC rates vary considerably, from €5,000 to €10,000+. A recent study commissioned by the National Platform Open Science estimates the average BPC for monographs to be €8,000. We suggest inquiring about BPCs rates with your publisher.

As with articles, open access fees for books are eligible for reimbursement from research grants and should be budgeted for when submitting funding applications.

The University of Groningen has an open access book fund. UG- and UMCG-affiliated authors can apply for funding the publication of their monograph or edited volume.

Are you funded by NWO?
Beneficiaries of NWO grants can request up to €10,000 to support the publication of open access academic monographs, edited volumes and book chapters.

University of Groningen Press

University of Groningen Press (UGP) is an open access publisher for academic authors and editors based at the UG. It publishes books, series and academic journals.

UGP combines traditional library expertise with tailor-made technological support for editors and authors. If you would like to publish with UGP, please get in touch at: ugp rug.nl.