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We offer authors the option of publishing their work as open access to allow them to make their works freely available online without compromising any aspect of the publishing process. Typically, we offer this option only for monographs, which are books usually written by a single author to convey the results of their research and analysis in a particular field of study.

Under this model, the author (or a funder) pays a Book Processing Charge and an online version of the book is published under a Creative Commons licence. Print and other digital versions (such as a Kindle eBook) are available for purchase.

We encourage interested authors to contact the relevant subject editor to discuss options.

We now allow books to be converted to open access retrospectively. Please contact your Cambridge editor for more information.


Frequently asked questions


What Creative Commons licence do you support?
We support CC-BY-NC but will allow other licences (particularly CC-BY-NC-ND) in certain circumstances. The CC-BY-NC licence allows the free re-use of the work for academic purposes, and it helps us keep author charges low through sales of print and eBook versions.

How much are your Book Processing Charges?
Our standard charge for a monograph of up to 120,000 words and up to 85 figures is £10,500 (US$13,000 & €12,000, excluding any applicable VAT or local sales tax), and £60 per additional thousand words. We do, however, consider each book individually. Additional fees may apply depending upon the complexity of the work and for books with more than 85 figures.

Do you publish other types of books open access?
We are open to publishing any of our books open access. Please speak to a relevant subject editor for more information about this.

Can authors request a discount for the Book Processing Charge?
Many authors wishing to publish Gold OA can apply for funding for the BPC through the TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem) initiative, in which the Press is a participating publisher. 

CUP also has an OA Books agreement with the Max Planck Group. It is a 3-way partnership whereby the MPG provides partial open access funding for authors affiliated with this prestigious group of institutions.

Are there any other differences with more conventional publishing options?
No. We will apply the same high standards and procedures as for our other publications. This includes editorial processes such as peer review, production processes of design and typesetting, through to marketing and dissemination. Our open access option is geared purely towards allowing you to make your book freely available online for academic purposes.

Can I include third-party material in an open access work?
Yes, but some rights holders might be reluctant to allow their material to be reproduced in an OA work. You must ensure that any permissions you secure for third-party material allow you include it in your OA work.

Ideally, the third-party material will have been previously published under a Creative Commons licence that already allows you include it. Other third-party material can be clearly indicated as being reproduced by permission and as being protected by third party copyright, with a notice that it cannot be reused without further permissions clearance from the identified third-party rights holder.