New open-access imprint launches

Bloomsbury Publishing is launching into academic publishing with a new imprint: Bloomsbury Academic. The imprint plans initially to publish monographs in the humanities and social sciences. It plans to have approximately 50 new titles online and in print by the end of 2009.

These titles will all be published online under an open-access models. Free downloads, for non-commercial purposes, will be available immediately upon publication, using Creative Commons licences. The works will also be sold as books, using short-run technologies or Print on Demand (POD).

'The new Bloomsbury Academic imprint represents new thinking, new technology and new directions in academic publishing. We're making a major commitment to spreading knowledge more easily throughout the world – with a sustainable business model,' commented the newly-appointed Bloomsbury Academic publisher Frances Pinter.

The platform will also be available to showcase and promote other publishers' titles. The initiative is not exclusively in the English language, says the company. Bloomsbury’s German partner, Berlin Verlag, will be participating actively in the venture.