Choosing Open Access for Books: Author Agency and the Open Book Collective

This presentation was delivered at the Edinburgh Open Research Conference 2025, held on 4 June 2025. Dr. Judith Fathallah presents the argument that author agency in academic publishing is often overlooked in discussions about equitable open access (OA) transitions. However, authors—especially in today’s precarious academic job market—can help shape a more sustainable and just publishing landscape by making intentional choices in what they publish, request, and assign, in collaboration with librarians. Fathallah concludes that there are many high-quality, sustainable OA book publishing options that don’t require Book Processing Charges (BPCs), and authors can support a more equitable OA future by choosing these over legacy publishers. By prioritising openness and collaborating with librarians to direct library budgets wisely, authors can gain greater personal and scholarly benefits than traditional prestige offers. Kevin Sanders introduces the work of the Open Book Collective (a partner on Copim's Open Book Futures research project).