From: Ken Masters <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, 2 May 2012 08:30:05 +0400

Hi All

By "charge," I mean the charge to the customer, i.e. me.  I have to
pay to get this journal.  When I ask why it is so expensive, I get the
usual "value added" speech, and, of course, the prohibitive costs of
paper and printing and international postage fees.  So my response is:
"Well, don't send a paper copy, because I never read it.  Offer an
'opt-out' of hard-copy option, and, that way, you can reduce your
paper, printing and postage costs and reduce my subscription charges
by the same amount."

Yeah, right.  For the simple reason that the amount calculated as a
charge for paper, printing and postage is not merely cost, but
cost+profit, and when you remove that charge, you also remove that
profit.  But the answer will usually be along the lines of "things
don't work as simply as that," followed by a convoluted explanation
including phrases like 'internationally-accepted standards,'
'industry-specific procedures,' 'corporate accounting methods' etc.,
all of which translate into a simple statment of: "You want this
journal?  Then you accept our terms.  End of discussion."

Regards

Ken

Dr. Ken Masters
Asst. Professor: Medical Informatics
Medical Education Unit
College of Medicine & Health Sciences
Sultan Qaboos University
Sultanate of Oman


On 2 May 2012 03:28, LIBLICENSE <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> From: Anthony Watkinson <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 09:17:56 +0100
>
> I find this very odd:
>
> "And publisher won't do it.  Simply because, if the publisher allows that
> option, then they have to reduce the charge.  If they reduce the charge,
> then they run the risk of reducing their profits"
>
> Very few publisher/association partnerships work on a commission basis which
> the word "charge" seems to suggest. I have not worked with any since the
> 1980s and would never advise it to societies I have represented. The two
> common financial arrangements are a royalty to the society (in which case
> the publisher will want to save money) and a share of profits (in which both
> the society and the publisher will want to save money)
>
> Anthony
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Masters <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:43:46 +0400
>
> Hi All
>
> One of the downsides of societies outsourcing this is that the
> customers get stuff that they don't need, but have to pay for it.  I
> have a subscription to a journal that is on paper and electronic.  But
> I never read the paper version.  It arrives later than the electronic
> copies are available, I can't search for stuff as easily, it takes up
> space, etc. - I always only access the electronic version.  But I'm
> paying for that d*mn paper and I can't get them to stop sending it to
> me without cancelling my subscription.  I have contacted the society,
> and they apologise, but it's out of their hands.  And publisher won't
> do it.  Simply because, if the publisher allows that option, then they
> have to reduce the charge.  If they reduce the charge, then they run
> the risk of reducing their profits.
>
> It's called "value added," (and value charged) whether you want that
> added value or not.
>
> So, yesterday, yet another copy of the journal arrived in its plastic
> wrapping, and was added to the pile of previous copies on my desk,
> still in their plastic wrapping. I offered it to a colleague, who
> smiled politely, and said "Um, no thanks, already read it online."
> I'm sure she wondered if I knew I was in the 21st century.
>
>
> Regards
>
> Ken
>
> Dr. Ken Masters
> Asst. Professor: Medical Informatics
> Medical Education Unit
> College of Medicine & Health Sciences
> Sultan Qaboos University