About Our Program
Florida State Open Publishing publishes digital and print-on-demand open access scholarly books, edited collections, and open educational resources (OER), including open textbooks. FSOP accepts proposals for book projects specifically developed for FSOP’s hosted instance of Manifold. The Manifold Scholarship Project is a collaborative platform for scholarly publishing originally developed by CUNY Graduate Center, the University of Minnesota Press, and Cast Iron Coding. As an open publishing platform it provides powerful annotation tools and rich media support. Our print-on-demand editions are purchasable on the Lulu Press bookstore. As an open access library publisher, authors retain the rights to their published work and the majority of our projects are published under a Creative Commons license.
Currently, we accept proposals for projects that include:
- scholarly monographs
- edited collections
- translations
- conference, symposium, or lecture proceedings (one-time publications)
- open educational resources (OER) or open textbooks
- publications in collaboration with scholarly organizations
- reports and white papers
- republished works after the rights return to the author
- creative works
- other non-traditional scholarly publication
Digital scholarship projects that require platforms or tools beyond the scope of Manifold are not supported by FSOP. Digital scholarship projects, including digital archives and bespoke websites, are supported by CreateFSU.
Our Services
For selected projects, FSOP offers a range of services to support your project through the publishing and promotion process. We work with the authors to clarify the scope of the project and our responsibilities. All services are offered at no cost and all projects are openly accessible.
✓ A digital publishing platform which supports PDF, HTML, and EPUB versions
✓ Print-on-demand publishing options
✓ Editorial project management
✓ Copyright & Creative Commons licensing guidance
✓ Accessibility guidance
✓ Referee and peer review facilitation
✓ Support procuring professional copyediting services
✓ Layout and design services (internal or vendor-provided)
✓ ISBN & DOI assignment, metadata management, and cataloging support
✓ Digital preservation through FSU’s institutional repository, Manifold, and WorldCat
✓ Basic promotional material and support
Policies
Peer Review
All proposals for publication undergo a first round review by the FSOP Advisory Board and FSOP staff prior to acceptance. OER and other types of publications may be published based on FSOP Advisory Board recommendation alone. Scholarly publications move on to peer review by subject experts based on the recommendation of the FSOP Advisory Board and discussions with the author(s)/editor(s).
Proposal review (FSOP Advisory Board). Every project begins with a proposal reviewed by FSOP staff and the FSOP Advisory Board against published criteria (significance, novelty, feasibility, clarity, and openness). During the annual call for proposals, the Board selects two projects to support through publication. During the off-cycle reading period FSOP staff reviews proposals on a rolling-basis and, based on capacity, decides whether to send the proposal on to the Board for their recommendation on advancing the project. Board members do not review proposals in which they have a conflict of interest.
External peer review (full manuscript). Complete manuscripts of scholarly works are sent for external peer review by at least two independent reviewers with relevant subject expertise. Reviews are conducted as single-blind, double-blind, or open peer review. FSOP author(s)/editor(s) work with FSOP staff to decide on the method. Reviewers are external to the project and to FSOP. Reviewers assess scholarly rigor, originality, accuracy, structure, and suitability for publication, and recommend acceptance, acceptance with minor revision, revise and resubmit, or decline.
Author revision and final decision. Authors receive reviewer feedback and submit revisions with a response document. FSOP staff, in consultation with the Advisory Board as needed, confirm that revisions adequately address the reviews before a final publication decision is made.
Licensing
FSOP publishes exclusively open-access digital book projects with an option for print-on-demand. Authors retain the copyright in their work and most works are released under a Creative Commons (CC) license selected by the author(s) or editor(s) in consultation with FSOP staff. The applicable license is displayed on each work’s publication page and within the work itself. Authors are responsible for clearing permissions for all copyrighted material included in the manuscript. FSOP offers guidance on copyright and permissions questions.
Preservation
FSOP publications are published on Manifold and a copy is made available in the FSU Research Repository.
Submit a Project
Annual Call for Proposals
We open a call for proposals (CFP) from September through October for interested members of the FSU community to submit projects for consideration. The primary contact for the project must be directly affiliated with Florida State University. However, local, national, and international collaborative partnerships are permitted and encouraged. These projects are reviewed by the Florida State Open Publishing Advisory Board. Projects selected through the CFP receive financial and editorial support services. Submitters will be notified by the first week of December. Learn more about requirements for the annual call for proposals.
Preview questions for the annual call for proposals.
General Book Proposals
FSOP welcomes proposals beyond the annual call for proposals window (Fall). All proposals are considered based on capacity and the degree of support required. Projects selected outside of the annual call for proposals will not receive financial support but will receive internal editorial management and production support. To submit a proposal for a project outside of the call for proposals window, please submit the general book proposal form. The FSOP team will review your proposal and respond in 2-4 weeks to discuss your project in greater detail.The general book proposal form is closed during our annual call for proposals. Our general reading period will reopen on January 1, 2027.
Preview questions for the general book proposal.
Publishing Consults
The FSOP team is happy to consult on future projects in advance of the annual CFP or to discuss your project before you submit a book proposal. As a service of FSU Libraries, our team can also provide additional guidance for publishing in other venues or guide you to resources regarding publishing contract negotiation, authors rights, open access, permissions, and copyright.
Consultation topics
- Launching a new scholarly publication with FSOP and FSU Libraries
- Assessing the quality of a publisher
- Understanding best practices for editors of scholarly journals
- Evaluating business models that support scholarly publications
- Licensing content for scholarly publications
- Copyright questions and guidance
- Author’s rights and publisher negotiations
This is not an exhaustive list of consultation topics. To schedule a publishing consult, please reach out to the Office of Digital Research and Scholarship librarians at lib-digischol@fsu.edu. A librarian will respond to discuss your publishing questions and needs.
