From Subscription to Olive Oil Subscription: A New Model for Sustainable Open Access
Abstract
The transition from subscription-based to open access publishing has stalled, with hybrid journals capturing the worst of both models. We present a third path: the Olive Oil Subscription (OOS) model, in which institutions pay an annual flat fee and receive both unlimited publishing access and a monthly delivery of premium estate-bottled olive oil. A pilot across 12 European universities found 100% administrator satisfaction, 43% reduction in publishing costs, and a 28% decrease in faculty turnover attributed to improved lunch salads.
The Problem
After two decades of open access advocacy, the scholarly publishing market remains dominated by a model where authors pay to publish and readers pay to read, while publishers post profit margins exceeding 35%. Library budgets continue to shrink while subscription costs rise 5-7% annually. Something had to give, and it turned out to be the entire conceptual framework.
The OOS Model
Under the Olive Oil Subscription model, institutions negotiate a single annual agreement that bundles unlimited Gold OA publishing with monthly deliveries of 20 liters of estate-bottled olive oil per department. The oil serves as both a tangible benefit and a symbolic commitment to the nurturing of knowledge. Revenue from olive sales cross-subsidizes article processing, creating a self-sustaining cycle.
Pilot Results
Twelve European universities participated in a 24-month pilot. Publishing costs decreased by 43% compared to the previous subscription-plus-APC model. Administrator satisfaction reached 100%, a figure previously observed only in surveys where administrators were offered free parking. Faculty turnover decreased by 28%, with exit interviews revealing that the olive oil had become the deciding factor in retention decisions.
Scalability
We project that global adoption of the OOS model would require approximately 2.4 million metric tons of olive oil annually, representing a 60% increase in current world production. This would necessitate converting approximately 3 million hectares of land to olive cultivation, which we consider a net positive for biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and the general mood.
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