Direct to Open Post-Launch: Market Forces and Publisher Challenges

Sponsored by MIT Press

Recorded on 04/20/2022
Posted in The Authority File

Episode 250

When developing MIT Press’s library collective action model Direct to Open (D2O), the creators understood that a one-size-fits-all framework doesn’t work for university presses. Because of the breadth and diversity of the current publishing landscape, presses need open publishing options that they can mold to fit their own unique needs and circumstances. How can university presses use D2O as a jumping-off point to enact their own open publishing models? What are the market forces driving publishers to adopt open access policies in the first place?

In this third episode, Emily Farrell, Library Partnerships and Sales Lead at MIT Press, and Curtis Brundy, Associate University Librarian at Iowa State University, talk logistics. They dive into the key factors concerning publishers when considering open models—the decline of print sales, desire to progress knowledge-sharing, lack of OA options in the humanities and social sciences. In addition, Emily and Curtis surface the challenges publishers face when adopting an OA model—operating costs, front- and backlist sizes—and the importance of introducing new, innovative solutions into the marketplace.

About the guests:

Curtis Brundy
Associate University Librarian for Scholarly Communications and Collections
Iowa State University

Emily Farrell
Library Partnerships and Sales Lead
MIT Press

Emily Farrell is Library Partnerships & Sales Lead at the MIT Press where she works with libraries on ensuring access to digital content. Before the MIT Press, she worked in both sales and as an acquisitions editor for linguistics, developing a program in applied linguistics and sociolinguistics, at De Gruyter. She holds a PhD in sociolinguistics from Macquarie University, Sydney. Emily serves on the board of the non-profit legal services organization UnLocal, as well as the Foundation for the Yonkers Public Library.

Enjoy the episode? Listen to the rest of the series:

Listen to our previous series on Direct to Open with MIT Press:
– MIT Press’s Direct to Open
– Finding a Place for Open Access Monographs

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