Authors Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open Access?
A work is considered to be Open Access when it is available to read for free in its entirety, without any restriction on who can access it. Open Access means that everyone, everywhere can have the same access to quality educational material. In other words, publication are available online and freely accessible to all without any restriction except use for commercial purposes.
Doesn't Open Access leave authors without an income?
Unlike novelists or other professional writers, the vast majority of academics do not write books to make money. Academics' funding comes from their university and research grants, and royalties on academic books are usually negligible. Most scholars publish books so that people can read and engage with their ideas; Open Access means that more people will be able to do just that.
Why do you charge for your PDFs when you are committed to Open Access?
We need to charge a small fee for our PDFs to offset our production costs. We are a non-profit company and charge very little for our printed books, so PDFs are a vital revenue source to help us keep our books affordable and free online. In the future we aim at raising enough income from grants and sales to stop charging for PDFs.
How do you keep the prices of your paperbacks and hardbacks so low?
The internet has revolutionised the way publishers can operate. We use print-on-demand technology, which means we have no wasted print runs. All our staff work in a 'virtual' office, which keeps our overhead costs down. We have a network of volunteers who generously give their time, and we have been assisted along the way by donations from individuals and grant-giving bodies who support our Open Access mission.
How do I start the book publishing process?
If you are interested in authoring a book, please first submit a proposal (
download the template proposal form). Upon receipt of your proposal, our Acquisitions team will assess your plan and provide feedback concerning further review. Book proposals can be submitted through our e-mail
book@openscienceonline.com
How long is the book proposal phase?
The initial assessment of your proposal will take approximately 1-2 weeks from the receipt of your proposal. Depending on the suitability of your proposal for our collection, the subsequent review process should take between 2-4 weeks.
Is my book/book chapter formatted correctly?
Please insure that your book or book chapter is in .doc, .docx, or .rtf format, that all equations are editable (not embedded pictures), and all figures are clear when displayed at 100% magnification. Our typesetters will standardize all fonts according to our house style during typesetting, so please pay particular attention to correcting the content of your chapter or article and insure that it is final and error-free.
Do you accept .tex (LaTeX) or .pdf submissions?
Unfortunately, any file format that does not perfectly convert to .doc or .docx is incompatible with our typesetting workflow. In order for our typesetters to create a professional publication, we must have all submissions in .doc, .docx, or .rtf. Otherwise, the result will be a substandard publication. Please draft your work in a compatible format or have it converted well before the final submission deadline.
Will my book be copyedited prior to publication?
You are responsible for the typographical accuracy of the content submitted for final manuscript. Open Science will correct minor formatting inconsistencies in preparation for our typesetting process. However, your work will not be thoroughly examined for errors in language usage. Please read your work specifically for these errors or have your work professionally copyedited prior to final submission.
Will you publish my book?
We publish academic books in all disciplines. If your manuscript passes our tough peer review process, we will almost certainly publish it. If you are unsure of whether your book is right for us, please email
book@openscienceonline.com
Will I see a proof of my book prior to release?
Yes. Before the release of your book, you will be sent a proof of the final typeset publication and given the opportunity to identify any errors present in the text. You will not be able to make extensive changes; this step is brief and meant to ensure that no errors were introduced during typesetting. Line-by-line copyediting will not be allowed; adding, moving, or deleting paragraphs or chapters will not be allowed; and correcting any error that was present in the original final submission to Open Science will be at our discretion.
What do I need to know when writing my book (word count, format, templates, etc.)?
The text must meet the formatting requirements outlined at Guidelines for Authors. This page also gives details of additional files to be included with email submissions.
