Comparison of Top Book Publishers

Various open access book publishers have adopted different models regarding licensing, publishing fees, peer review, distribution, and indexing. This comparison explores major open-access book publishers based on the various important publishing aspects:

Licensing and Copyright Policies

Most leading open access book publishers adopt Creative Commons (CC) licenses, allowing authors to retain control over their work while ensuring public access (Pinfield, 2015; Rane et al., 2024). Publishers such as OBP, UCL Press, Ubiquity Press, Frontiers Books, and OAPEN strongly advocate for CC BY (Attribution) and CC BY-SA (ShareAlike) licenses, which maximize content redistribution and reuse. Others, such as Cambridge University Press Open Access, Taylor & Francis Open Books, Palgrave Macmillan Open, and De Gruyter Open, offer a mix of CC licenses and traditional copyright protections, giving authors the option to limit commercial use or modifications. Some publishers, including SpringerOpen, Elsevier Open Books, and Brill Open, tend to impose more restrictions by using CC BY-NC-ND (Non-Commercial, No Derivatives) licenses, limiting adaptation and commercial redistribution. Additionally, institutional repositories such as MIT Press Open, Peter Lang Open, and Routledge Open Books allow authors to store copies of their open access books in university libraries, further enhancing accessibility.

Publishing Fees and Funding Models

Open-access book publishing often involves Book Processing Charges (BPCs) to cover editorial, production, and distribution costs (Pinter, 2018; Rane et al., 2024). High BPCs are common among SpringerOpen, Cambridge University Press Open Access, Elsevier Open Books, Taylor & Francis Open Books, and De Gruyter Open, where fees typically range between $5,000 and $15,000 per book. Mid-range BPCs, typically between $3,000 and $7,000, are offered by Ubiquity Press, Frontiers Books, and MDPI Books, with some funding support available for authors. Meanwhile, OBP, OAPEN, and UCL Press follow subsidized or institutional-funded models, ensuring lower or zero costs for authors. Other publishers, such as MIT Press Open and Palgrave Macmillan Open, allow grant-based funding, where costs are covered through research grants or institutional contributions, making open access publishing more accessible to authors with financial constraints.

Peer Review and Editorial Standards

Traditional double-blind peer review is a standard for major publishers such as SpringerOpen, Cambridge University Press Open Access, UCL Press, and MIT Press Open, ensuring rigorous quality control before publication. Some publishers, including Frontiers Books and Ubiquity Press, use open peer review, where reviewers' identities and comments are published alongside the book, promoting transparency. OBP, OAPEN, and Ubiquity Press follow community-driven peer review models, involving scholars from relevant disciplines to provide feedback and validate research quality. In contrast, publishers like InTechOpen and MDPI Books have faced criticism for faster review processes, which some scholars argue may compromise review rigor.

Indexing and Discoverability

Major open access publishers such as SpringerOpen, Cambridge University Press Open Access, Elsevier Open Books, and De Gruyter Open ensure their books are indexed in Scopus, Web of Science, Google Books, and CrossRef, enhancing scholarly visibility. Other publishers, including OBP, UCL Press, Ubiquity Press, OAPEN, and Frontiers Books, focus on indexing in Google Scholar, Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), and OAPEN Library, ensuring accessibility within academic communities. Some university-based publishers, such as MIT Press Open, Peter Lang Open, and Palgrave Macmillan Open, emphasize institutional indexing, integrating books into university repositories to expand their readership.

Distribution and Formats

Publishers such as OBP, UCL Press, Ubiquity Press, and OAPEN offer books in multiple formats, including PDF, EPUB, MOBI, and HTML, making them accessible across different devices. In contrast, SpringerOpen, Elsevier Open Books, and Cambridge University Press Open Access primarily provide books in PDF, limiting flexibility. Some publishers, such as MIT Press Open, Frontiers Books, and De Gruyter Open, integrate interactive online reading platforms, allowing users to access multimedia-rich content.

Author Rights and Retention Policies

Publishers such as OBP, UCL Press, Ubiquity Press, and OAPEN ensure that authors retain full copyrights while publishing under open-access licenses. Others, such as SpringerOpen, Cambridge Open Access, Elsevier Open Books, and Brill Open, may impose restrictions on commercial reuse, requiring authors to negotiate their rights. MIT Press Open, De Gruyter Open, and Palgrave Macmillan Open adopt shared rights agreements, allowing both authors and publishers to hold rights while offering royalty-based models for printed versions.

Print-On-Demand and Commercial Sales

OBP, UCL Press, Ubiquity Press, and OAPEN provide low-cost print-on-demand options, allowing readers to buy printed versions at production cost. Publishers such as MIT Press Open, Cambridge University Press Open Access, and De Gruyter Open offer premium print editions, often priced higher due to professional printing standards. SpringerOpen, Elsevier Open Books, and Taylor & Francis Open Books integrate their books with commercial retailers like Amazon and major bookstores, offering both open-access and paid print editions.

Reputation and Impact Metrics

Publishers like SpringerOpen, Cambridge University Press Open Access, and Elsevier Open Books have a high citation impact due to their indexing in Scopus and Web of Science. OBP, Ubiquity Press, and Frontiers Books track altmetrics, download statistics, and social media engagement, providing real-time impact data. MIT Press Open, De Gruyter Open, and Palgrave Macmillan Open monitor citation tracking through integrated digital platforms.

Subject Coverage and Specialization

SpringerOpen, Elsevier Open Books, Frontiers Books, and MDPI Books specialize in science, engineering, and medicine, while OBP, UCL Press, OAPEN, and Brill Open focus on humanities and social sciences. MIT Press Open, De Gruyter Open, and Palgrave Macmillan Open publish in interdisciplinary fields, including artificial intelligence and sustainability.

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References

Pinfield, S. (2015). Making open access work: The “state-of-the-art” in providing open access to scholarly literature. Online information review, 39(5), 604-636.

Pinter, F. (2018). Why book processing charges (BPCs) vary so much. Journal of Electronic Publishing, 21(1).

Rane, N. L., Choudhary, S., & Rane, J. (2024). How to Publish Academic Books: A Guide to Publishing Monographs, Edited Volumes, Textbooks, and Theses. Deep Science Publishing.