Book publishing: 5 Key Topics of the Month

September, 2014: Every month, we highlight 5 key topics or new developments in the book publishing industry, with a special emphasis on academic publishing. Whether data, news or commentary, we aim to keep you informed.

Nature goes Open Access 
Journal Nature Communications, billed by Nature Publishing Group as the number three multidisciplinary journal in the world behind Nature and Science, is to take the “decisive step” of becoming open access only, reported The Bookseller. It will accept open access submissions from October 20 only, the company said in a press release.The move follows much debate on “open access” in academic publication.

Academic publishing can free itself from its outdated path dependence by looking to alternative review mechanisms, said Benedikt Fecher in this post for LSE’s “Impact of Social Sciences” blog.

How can marketers of academic books take advantage of changes in digital publishing? Beth McAllister finds out in this post for the Oxford University Press blog.

Amazon Launches New Crowd-Sourcing Publishing Program 
After rumblings surfaced that Amazon is creating a new American Idol-style crowd-sourced publishing platform, the e-tailer has confirmed that the program is “in the works”, reported Publishers Weekly. In the same week, the major retailer has also launched Amazon Unlimited, a “Netflix” for books.

PIPCU shuts down On Read 
E-book download site On Read has been shut down by the City of London’s Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU), reported The Bookseller. The issue of E-book content protection remains prevalent after the EU intervened in a clampdown on piracy in the Netherlands earlier this year and Harper Collins recently adopted digital watermarking.