OSPS FAQ

What types of projects do you work on?

We help people publish books, journals, and other scholarly work in print and digital formats. In terms of content, we work with scholars in STEM and HSS disciplines.

Will my project become a UNC Press publication?

No. The OSPS is a publishing services provider. Projects do not go through the UNC Press standard peer-review and editing process. Depending on your project and your publishing goals, it may make sense for UNC Press to sell your book once it has been published, but they would be acting as distributor and not publisher. (If you would like for your book to be considered for publication by UNC Press, please see the submission guidelines on the UNC Press website.)

Who will be the publisher of my book?

We typically work with UNC System entities such as departments, libraries, or research institutes. As publisher, these entities usually select the works to be published and guide early processes such as peer review, editorial oversight, and clearing third-party permissions. If you are an individual from a school within the University of North Carolina System, you should consider if there is a logical institutional partner at your institution. We are happy to advise if you don’t have a campus partner.

What kind of work can you do for me?

We currently offer services in three broad categories: 1) editorial, design, and production; 2) sales, marketing, and distribution; and 3) copyright and intellectual property. We can help you with all of these services or we can just handle one service as needed. We also advise on best practices, business planning, and publishing strategy.

Who owns copyright?

You or your university will most likely control copyright. You should consult your university’s copyright guidelines to determine this. You can also choose to pursue licensing such as Creative Commons that is geared to open access works. We can advise you on intellectual property issues and options when we know more about your project.

How much do your services cost?

The OSPS is tasked with keeping costs as low as possible, but we are not funded in such a way as to offer our services free of charge. Some content creators feel strongly about open access. Others are more concerned with keeping costs to their audience low while generating income for sustainability. We have models that can work for a range of missions and budgets.

Do you have a rate sheet or cost menu?

We do not have a standard rate sheet because we have found there are too many variables among publishing projects to accurately generate one, but we can provide you with a cost estimate.

How do I get started?

The first step is for us to collect information about your project and your goals. Please submit a project evaluation form (Book Evaluation Form or Journal Evaluation Form). We will follow up to discuss some publishing strategies.