The below table shows the production charges for three levels of book length. The amounts are inclusive of VAT.

Band A 60-80,000 Words £3500

Band B 80-100,000 Words £4500

Band C 100,000 Words + £5500

Note: The final production charge will be agreed upon acceptance and may vary depending on the number of images, final word count or complexity of the project.

The production charge is collected when the final manuscript has been accepted for publication following peer review.

SUP’s subsidised model allows us to deliver much lower production charges in comparison to commercial publishers, which can range from £8,000 to over £15,000 before VAT. Our charges also fall well below the £10,000 maximum funding level for UKRI funded books (see the URKI Open Access Policy section below).

As a start-up venture, we recognise that our costs may change over time, but we will remain at all times a not-for-profit publisher, committed to transparency and accountable to our Management Board.

While open access for journal articles is well established, the focus is now shifting to include books. From 1st January 2024 UKRI funded monographs, book chapters and edited collections must be made open access within 12 months of publication. Other funders, such as the Wellcome Trust, already require monographs to be made open access and Coalition S members are committed to full open access for monographs. It is also likely that REF policy will be updated to include open access for books.  

There is growing momentum for open access to all research, regardless of funding. Content published open access is freely accessible on a global scale, thus increasing the impact of the research and ensuring access for all regardless of location or ability to pay. SUP aims to provide a cost-effective route to open access publishing for researchers at our member institutions who will be affected by these changes. Currently, many commercial publishers require the payment of Book Processing Charges (BPCs) to publish a book open access. These BPCs can range from £8,000 to over £15,000 before VAT. SUP’s subsidised model, as described in the Production Charges section above, allows us to deliver much lower production charges in comparison to commercial publishers.  

SUP is aware that not all academics at participating institutions will have funding from a grant to cover the production charge. There is currently a variation in approach to open access funding across our institutions. In some cases, universities have central funds to support open access so there will be a route to financing publication at institution level, while others are currently scoping the support they can offer. It is likely that more funding will become available for open access book publishing in the future. SUP is actively involved in the open access funding conversation and and we are scoping alternative funding options to better support authors. 

If you have questions about funding for your book then please contact us.

From 1 January 2024 UKRI funded monographs, edited collections and book chapters must be free to view and download via an online publication platform, publishers’ website, or institutional or subject repository within a maximum of 12 months of publication with a Creative Commons licence (CC BY preferred). More information on the specifics of the policy and any exemptions can be viewed here.

All books published with SUP are made immediately open access on the SUP platform with Creative Commons licences applied.

If your book is UKRI funded then you may be eligible for funding to cover the SUP production charge. UKRI has an annual dedicated fund of £3.5 million for longform publications within scope of the policy. UKRI will contribute a maximum of £10,000 including VAT for book processing charges. SUP production charges range form £3500 to £5500 including VAT, so fall well within the maximum funding level.

If you believe you are eligible for UKRI funding for your book then please contact the team responsible for open access at your institution as they must make the application on your behalf.

If you have any other questions then please contact us.

Other funders, such as Wellcome Trust, also require OA for books and provide funding for eligible titles. The OA Books Toolkit provides a useful overview of current funding sources.

We reccommend that you contact the team responsible for open access at your institution to discuss your funding options.