Our Indian colleagues, and open access publishingIt started with jobs like highly technical maths typesetting, and continued with IT heavy digital work. But increasingly the core functions of editing, not just for scientific, technical and medical publications, but also educational books are being contracted out to centres in India and other countries where graduates earn a fraction of what is considered a living wage in Europe. It started with jobs like highly technical maths typesetting, and continued with IT heavy digital work. But increasingly the core functions of editing, not just for scientific, technical and medical publications, but also educational books are being contracted out to centres in India and other countries where graduates earn a fraction of what is considered a living wage in Europe. Almost all our big publishing companies do it to some extent, and the practice seems to be growing, with more and more specialist functions being outsourced.
OPEN ACCESS PUBLISHING
Little wonder, perhaps, that many in the academic community are questioning what added value publishing companies are offering in return for the journal subscription fees they charge, and a momentum is growing for a move to open access publishing, where access is free and the editing work is the responsibility of the author. This could spell an end for hundreds of full-time publishing jobs, and even the demise of an important sector of Britain’s publishing industry.
A VEIL OF SECRECY
Many of the developments are happening under a veil of secrecy. They are not something publishers like to boast about. But those of us who work in and care about the industry need to know what is really going on, to assess the implications and to take a stand. As a leading global publishing centre, it is up to us in Oxford to take a lead.
Early in 2010, we will be calling on all our publishing members to help us get to grips with how our industry is changing and what we need to to do in order to defend the quality of the jobs we work in and the publications we produce. AW 2010-01-03
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