The OBC’s business model is distributive: small annual contributions sourced from a network of research institutions across the world form a robust revenue pool that enables an extremely cost-effective method for funding open access books in which no single institution bears a disproportionate cost and publisher and publishing service provider members share revenue and resources with each other.

The OBC is a registered charity that sources revenue from supporting institutions on behalf of its open access publisher and publishing service provider members, for which the members provide, in addition to open content, a variety of benefits, such as usage metrics, catalogue records, cross-referenced metadata, annual financial reports, shared governance, and so on. Institutions pay a small fee on top of their subscription they pledge to one or more Supporter Programmes, which money is used for the operating expenses of the OBC.

Publishers and publishing service providers also give some of the money they receive from supporters back to the OBC to cover operating expenses. In addition, they are asked to consider helping to finance a grant giving programme called the Collective Development Fund. Members' contributions to this Fund demonstrates their commitment to mutual aid and non-competitive collaboration.

The OBC's grant giving via the Collective Development Fund is a key part of its charitable work. Monies in this fund are distributed to publishers and publishing service providers who apply for grants for various projects that build open access publishing capacity. Details of funding calls and eligibility criteria will be published in due course. 

Supporting Institutions

• In addition to funds pledged to one or more Supporter Programmes,  subscribing institutions pay an annual 5% Supporter Processing Fee that is added  to the cost of the chosen Supporter Programme(s) and goes to the OBC’s operating costs.

Publishers and Publishing Service Providers

• The OBC charges publishers and publishing service providers two distinct fees, subtracted from the monies they receive from subscribing institutions: a Provider Processing Fee and a Collective Development Fund Fee. 

• In the first year of joining the OBC, the Provider Processing Fee is 7.5% of monies received. In each subsequent year, the fee is 5%. The higher fee in the first year reflects the increased labour involved in setting up Supporter Programmes for publishers and publishing service providers in the first year of a subscription. This money goes to the OBC’s operating costs.

• The OBC also asks publishers and publishing service providers to contribute to a Collective Development Fund Fee of 5% of monies received. This income is used to fund the OBC’s grant giving programme, as described above, and is a critical part of the OBC’s charitable and community-focused work. This contribution is optional.

 

To learn more about our fees or the fund contact info@openbookcollective.org