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Open Access Publishing Fund


  • We offer subventions of up to $15,000 to support the open access publication of new monographs by faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are seeking a broader readership for their work.
  • We offer funding for "retrospective" open access for monographs by faculty in the humanities and humanistic social sciences that were published within the past three years (or in the past year for non-Emory faculty) and show evidence of continued use and impact.
  • Faculty must be tenured or tenure-track Emory College faculty or have a full-time, non-visiting appointment at another metro-Atlanta institution of higher education.
  • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and funding is dispensed throughout the financial year (September through August). Applications may close if funding is exhausted prior to the end of the financial year, so early applications are recommended.
  • Emory faculty eligibility: Applicants must be tenure-track or tenured Emory College faculty working in a humanistic field or discipline. Faculty in the social sciences are encouraged to discuss their book project with program staff prior to making an application.
  • Non-Emory faculty eligibility: Applicants must be full-time faculty with permanent or renewable appointments at higher education institutions in metro-Atlanta. Applicants must be working in a humanistic field or discipline. Faculty in the social sciences are encouraged to discuss their book project with program staff prior to making an application.
  • Eligible projects include solo or co-authored research monographs which have not yet been published or which have been published within the last three years (or in the past year for non-Emory faculty). Monographs are defined here as long-form scholarly works on a single subject that present evidence, an argument, and conclusions beyond the scope of an academic journal article.
  • Creative works, critical editions, edited volumes of essays, and textbooks are not eligible for funding.
  • In the case of co-authored manuscripts, co-authors from other institutions will be asked to contribute a portion of the subvention.
  • Applicants must already be working with an eligible publisher at the point of applying. If the project is not yet under contract the publisher must be willing to provide a letter expressing their commitment to publishing the project.
  • Eligible publishers include all members of the Association of University Presses. Commercial academic and scholarly trade publishers may be deemed eligible on a case-by-case basis with a detailed description of the publisher’s peer review process, editorial selection process, and marketing of open access titles.
  • This program supports the open access publication of monographs by recognized academic publishers and as such cannot fund the technical development of digital projects or the publication of scholarship through other channels.
  • However, we do collaborate with the Emory Center of Digital Scholarship to produce enhanced editions of open access monographs in partnership with publishers. These enhanced editions allow for the incorporation of additional media into the open access edition of the monograph. If this format is of interest to you, please indicate that in the relevant section of the application form.
  • The application form gathers information about the author(s), book project, and publisher, as well as supporting documentation.
  • The form can be saved before submission so you can complete it in multiple sittings.
  • For new monographs, you will need to upload the following documents: copy of the signed publication contract OR letter from the publisher confirming their intention to publish the project; copy of the book proposal that was submitted to the publisher; (where available) copy of all readers’ reports and any author response.
  • For published monographs, you will be asked to provide information about the impact and continued use of the work.
  • The final section asks for answers to the following questions:
    • How would this work benefit from open access publication? Which audiences would open access publication allow you to reach?
    • What do you currently do to engage audiences beyond your own field in your research? What kinds of activities would you undertake if this book were to be published open access?
  • If you have any questions about the application form, please write to Mae Velloso-Lyons at m.velloso-lyons@emory.edu.