An Empirical Analysis of the Amount ofPublication Fees

Among the financing strategies available for Open Access (OA), the author-paysbusiness model has received increasing attention. The consequences of this approach,however, for the system of scholarly communication and for publishing houses asparticipants in value added, have remained largely unclear. The paper presentedhere, therefore, analyzes the probable realistic magnitude of publishing fees indifferent subjects, based on empirical data. The paper shows that the most favorableconditions are met in the Natural Sciences and in Mathematics. However, theanalysis also shows that publishing houses would have to raise publishing fees wellbeyond the level that scientists are willing to pay. Furthermore, the analysis leads tothe conclusion that the amount of money currently available in the system ofscholarly communication is probably not sufficient for the sustainable financing ofpublishing fees....