Washington, DC – SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition) today launched Gaining Independence: A Manual for Planning the Launch of a Nonprofit Electronic Publishing Venture. This new publication, available on the Web free of charge at http://www.arl.org/sparc/GI, is a detailed, step-by-step guide leading readers through the creation of a business plan for start-up and early-stage electronic publishing ventures, including digital repositories and journals.
Gaining Independence will help universities, libraries, societies and others conceive, plan and implement alternatives to commercially published scholarly and scientific information. It provides background on relevant electronic publishing models and focuses especially on areas of business planning that may be unfamiliar to those considering new communications initiatives.
The manual includes sections on: Situational Assessment and Strategic Response; Technology and Technical Considerations; Markets, Marketing and Sales; Organization; Finances; and the Financial Plan and Operating Plan. A detailed appendix links readers to pertinent resources.
"Gaining Independence delivers smart advice and solid direction to potential publishers and entrepreneurs, whether at universities, libraries, learned societies, consortia or independent firms," said Dr. Mike Hannant, Publisher, The Royal Society of Chemistry. "Its focus is on real-world concerns, with emphasis on matters that might get overlooked, such as proof-of-concept, marketing and financing, and these areas build a foundation for the long-term viability of new electronic ventures. Gaining Independence guides potential publishers through a process to make sure each new product is sustainable."
"Gaining Independence offers a practical approach to planning and implementing competitive electronic publishing ventures," said Michael J. Bass, Hewlett-Packard Company's External Engagement Manager for the MIT/HP DSpace Project. "Universities, societies and other institutions which want to create, build support for, and communicate a strategy for their electronic journals, digital repositories and other projects will be well-served by Gaining Independence and its emphasis on business planning and long-term viability."
"SPARC was founded as a constructive response to market inequities in the scholarly communication system," said Rick Johnson, SPARC Enterprise Director. "Gaining Independence is another step toward building a system that serves the needs of the scholarly community and facilitates effective partnerships between scholars and their institutions or societies. Our aim for Gaining Independence is to help make alternative scholarly initiatives mainstream and self-sustaining by emphasizing the application of sound business planning practices."
Gaining Independence complements Declaring Independence: A Guide to Creating Community-Controlled Science Journals, which SPARC and the Triangle Research Libraries Network introduced in early 2001. Declaring Independence is available on the Web at http://www.arl.org/sparc/DI and the printed handbook is available free of charge by emailing pmds@arl.org. Gaining Independence is also a follow-on to Create Change: New Systems of Scholarly Communication, an issues-based brochure and web resource available at http://www.createchange.org.
SPARC is a coalition of research universities and libraries supporting increased competition in scholarly publishing. Its membership currently numbers approximately 200 institutions and library consortia in North America, Australia, New Zealand and Asia. SPARC Europe, a regionally focused initiative, is being launched in 2002. SPARC is also affiliated with major library organizations in Canada, the U.K. and Ireland, Denmark, Australia and the USA. SPARC is located on the web at http://www.arl.org/sparc; SPARC Europe is located on the web at http://www.sparceurope.org.