ACADEMIC PUBLISHING CONSULTANCY

The Open Access initiative from the EU has faced academic publishers with obvious threats and no obvious opportunities. In most cases it has forced a fundamental re-think of existing business models. For the last 4 years MRPC has been providing Academic Publishing Consultancy to organisations in the Chemical and Medical sectors.

Critical Choices for the Business Model

Academic publishers face new challenges as AI threatens, the Corona virus disrupts the ‘normal’, and – critically – threatens revenue streams. As the EU (Plan S) and other organisations push for Open Access, amongst questions being asked are:

• What should we be doing in-house and what contracting out?
• What core capabilities must we retain?
• Are current sales and distribution appropriately managed?
• Is current content provision optimal?
• Are the current digital platforms appropriate and future-proof?
• Are we exploiting available international opportunities?

MRP Consulting provides a structured approach to answering these questions.  Our Road Map to deliver excellent Academic Publishing Consultancy would typically include:

1. A survey of the academic publishing sector and the production of a best practice model.
2. Comparison of your current practices against this model and (via gap analysis) what that implies in terms of required change.
3. Consideration of the options available and (via a pre-determined decision matrix) identifying the right choices for you.
4. Production of a business plan reflecting the agreed direction of travel.
5. Help, where required, in implementing that plan.