Publishing

Open Source Publishing

In the Digital Age we are creators, not just consumers. And as creators we have unprecedented opportunities to be heard and seen -- but those opportunities will be greater if we use open-source methods in our publishing. The scholarly journal industry, for example, is being challenged by upstarts who want to overturn the closed-in, expensive system that has prevailed in favor of an open system that a) spreads knowledge more efficiently; and b) is far less expensive for libraries and schools. Copyright remains a vital part of the publishing ecosystem, meanwhile, but its abuses by the entertainment and publishing industries, among others, have led many people to Creative Commons, a licensing system that invites sharing while protecting creators. CC is just one of the tools we can deploy to make our work more open for re-use and re-mixing by others. This chapter discusses the reasons why being more open is better for creators in most cases, and vastly better for society.

Sidebar: Science Commons, opening up research.

Sidebar: Scholars rebel against high-priced, closed-off academic journals.