Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free | George Monbiot

Those who take on the global industry that traps research behind paywalls are heroes, not thievesNever underestimate the power of one determined person. What Carole Cadwalladr has done to Facebook and big data, and Edward Snowden has done to the state security complex, Alexandra Elbakyan has done to the multibillion-dollar industry that traps knowledge behind paywalls. Sci-Hub, her pirate web scraper service, has done more than any government to tackle one of the biggest rip-offs of the modern era: the capture of publicly funded research that should belong to us all. Everyone should be free to learn; knowledge should be disseminated as widely as possible. No one would publicly disagree with these sentiments. Yet governments and universities have allowed the big academic publishers to deny these rights. Academic publishing might sound like an obscure and fusty affair, but it uses one of the most ruthless and profitable business models of any industry.The model was pioneered by the notorious conman Robert Maxwell. He realised that, because scientists need to be informed about all significant developments in their field, every journal that publishes academic papers can establish a monopoly and charge outrageous fees for the transmission of knowledge. He called his discovery “a perpetual financing machine”. He also realised that he could capture other people’s labour and resources for nothing. Governments funded the research published by his company, Pergamon, while... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2018-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
News tagged with: #alexandra elbakyan #modern era #academic publishing #significant developments #technical term

Other Publishing stories related to: 'Scientific publishing is a rip-off. We fund the research – it should be free | George Monbiot'

Get 'The Long Tail' E-Book for Free--in Comic-Book Form!

It may sound a little strange, but the SmarterComics version of this business bestseller is quite engaging. Here's your chance to read it online free of charge. Continue reading at PC World

[ PC World | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #long tail

Billionaires are Investing in Australian Newspaper Publishers

Billionaire Gina Rinehart recently invested $146 million in Fairfax Media, the publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and the Financial Review . Known as the "Iron Lady," Rinehart is the heir of mining magnate Lang Hancock and is believ ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #fairfax media

H&S to publish Holocaust survivor memoirs

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired the memoirs of Sam Pivnik, one of the few living British... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hodder stoughton

Cape to publish unfinished Patrick White novel

Jonathan Cape will publish the unfinished novel The Hanging Garden by Australian author Patrick... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-09 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #jonathan cape

Self-published author claims Kindle top spot

Self-published crime writer Kerry Wilkinson claimed the top spot in the UK Kindle bestseller... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Celsius to Showcase Open Platform Publishing Solution at NENPA 2012 Tradeshow

Falmouth, ME (February 8, 2012) — CelsiusTechnology Group, a leader in open platform, multichannel publishing solutions for the print media industry, today announced its plans for the New England Newspaper & Press Association (NEN ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #today announced

Boulder Newspaper Publisher to Lay Off 17

BOULDER - The Boulder-based publisher of the Daily Camera will lay off 17 advertising design and production employees in an outsourcing move, the newspaper reported Wednesday, Jan. 8. Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-08 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Publishing Vet Paul Conley Joins MyBankTracker.com as Editorial Director

Paul Conley, a publishing vet whose experience runs the gamut from b-to-b to consumer financial journalism, is now editorial director with MyBankTracker.com. In this role, Conley will oversee the news and analysis operations of the site. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-02-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Culture committee publishes inquiry evidence

Six hundred pages of written submissions to the library inquiry being held this week by the... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #hundred pages #library inquiry

Has Social Media Made Search-Driven Publishing Less Relevant?

The growing importance of social media, coupled with the powerful wrath of Google, have shaken the once-hot world of cheap search-driven publishing. About.com recently dumped its CEO. Yahoo’s $100 million acquisition of Associated Content (now Yahoo Voices) has yielded a network of 700,000... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #necessarily viewed #selling point #horizon media #founders left #team monitors #fans react #specific characters #smart strategy

Has Social Media Made Search-Driven Publishing Irrelevant?

New legislation 'prohibitive', say publishers

Children's publishers are preparing for changes to legislation that will introduce a raft of... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

ASP Westward Sells Community Media of Colorado to Macari-Healey Publishing Company, LLC

HOUSTON, TX - February 6, 2012 - Macari-Healey Publishing Company, LLC, of Golden, Colorado has purchased Community Media of Colorado from ASP Westward. The Houston-based newspaper publisher had owned CMC since 2002. ASP Westward also ope ... Continue reading at Editor & Publisher

[ Editor & Publisher | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this |

Self-published author society prepares to launch

A non-profit body representing the interests of self-published authors will launch this spring... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #self-published authors

Orion to publish R J Ellory digital exclusive

Orion is publishing an exclusive trilogy of short stories by crime writer R J Ellory, called... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #short stories #crime writer

AA Publishing scoops Dan Kieran

AA Publishing is continuing to acquire narrative travel titles, buying up The Idle Traveller by... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-02-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #aa publishing #idle traveller

Apple’s iBooks Author app attracts publishers

Independent publishers have welcomed the launch of Apple’s iBooks Author self-publishing... Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #independent publishers

Ig Publishing Marks a Decade

Founded in 2002 by the husband and wife team of Robert Lasner and Elizabeth Clementson, Brooklyn independent Ig Publishing is celebrating its 10th anniversary against all the odds. The house debuted with For Fuck’s Sake, a novel by Lasner, which did so well at the time, Lassner said, “We both... Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2012-01-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #10th anniversary

App Development Strategies for Small to Medium-Sized Publishers

Keeping pace with the dramatic changes on the smartphone and tablet front is no small feat for any publisher, but doing so presents a particular challenge for smaller companies without a safety net of funds for experimentation with platforms that are at once in their infancy and yet increasingly... Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2012-01-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this | News stories tagged with: #small feat #medium-sized publishers #keeping pace #safety net