Open access books

Publishing an open access book

A book or chapter processing charge (BPC/CPC) covers all the costs of commissioning, copyediting and proofreading, production, dissemination and promotion of our authors’ work, including online hosting and indexing. 

For further information on our open access book publication costs, please see our pricing page. 

Read more about the benefits of publishing an open access book or chapter here.

Download Springer's Author Guide to Open Access Books  

Download Palgrave's Author Guide to Open Access Books

From submission to publication

  1. Author submits proposal for an open access book or chapter to one of Springer Nature's imprints (Springer or Palgrave Macmillan).
  2. The book is rigorously peer reviewed. 
  3. If accepted, author can choose gold OA option: Publisher will request a book processing charge (BPC) which can be covered by a funder or institution.
  4. The book is copyedited, proofread and produced to a high-quality standard.
  5. A Creative Commons licence is assigned to the open access book.
    CC BY is used as the default licence but other types can be requested.
  6. The book is available immediately upon publication as PDF, ePub and HTML via Springer Nature Link, and indexed at the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB) as well as PubMed’s NCBI Bookshelf, Web of Science and Scopus where appropriate. Print copies available at lower cost.

Publishing with Springer Nature

  • Different formats accepted
    Springer Nature accepts complete monographs, edited volumes/collections, proceedings, protocols, and short-form books (SpringerBriefs and Palgrave Pivots). We also offer authors the option to publish individual chapters open access within otherwise non-open access edited collections (‘hybrid’ publishing).
  • Funding support service
    Springer Nature offers a free open access support service to make it easier for our authors to discover and apply for BPC funding. We can help to see if you are eligible for funding support through your funder or institution. Read more about how we can help you.
  • Usage statistics
    Springer Nature Link gives authors an overview of the reach and impact of their book by providing information on chapter downloads and online mentions.
  • Print availability
    Print copies are available on demand for those who wish to purchase the research in hard copy.

Watch our open access book videos

Why publish an open access book?

How does it work? OA books in 6 steps