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When you think of university press books, you might expect the readers to all be professors and students. In order to learn more about who reads our open access books, the University of Michigan Press launched a survey on our Fulcrum platform to ask readers how they came across our books and what they liked. Over the past couple of years, we have heard from a number of readers outside of academic institutions who highlighted how important access to free books was for satisfying their hunger for knowledge on a budget.

This feedback prompted our team to think critically about how we could better serve these readers as well as reach new audiences. This year, we are thrilled to launch a new monthly email newsletter that highlights the open access books that have recently been published and where readers can find them for free. This monthly round-up, named the Voracious Reader newsletter, will make it easier for readers to find free, quality books, so that they may incorporate reading into their daily lives more easily.

Quotes from Our Readers

The quotes below are just some of the testimonials we have received, and help demonstrate the breadth of our readers and the value they place on books that are free-to-read.

• “I'm on a fixed income and read voraciously.”
• “As a rural person without the option of a public library, I couldn't have afforded to read this book without your support of open access.”
• “I am an historic reenactor. . . Thank you for providing this information!”
• “My financial situation doesn't allow me to buy much; most of my budget goes to food. I'm limited to what's available at local libraries and what I can get for free. Books with a wider circulation (like encompassive method guides) are relatively easy to find online for free, but books with a smaller audience, like much of fandom studies, are not.”
• “I'm a freelance journalist with geek leanings. This will not only feed my brain but it will inform my work, increase the quality of the questions I ask and potentially direct me to people I can interview.”
• “Really grateful to have access to this book. We are reading it as a group, and that open access means it's possible for us to create community around the reading.”
• "I often find the biggest value of having an ebook collection is that something will pop up from it when I do a search on my computer years from now . . . So while not a complete ‘hoarder’ of ebooks, I do think that more is more precious for making connections across sources."

How to Sign Up

Anyone can sign up for the Voracious Reader newsletter from the Stay Connected page on our website. Just fill in the form for emails from the University of Michigan Press and check the box for “Free eBooks.” If you are already subscribed to the Press’s other emails, you can update your preferences from the footer included in every email.

You can preview the first newsletter online. The next newsletter will go out at the beginning of March.

What is Open Access?

While open access has been regularly discussed in academic communities, general readers may not be familiar with the idea of publishing books that anyone can read for free.

Open Access (OA) publishing is, simply put, making an ebook available for free to read online, without any barriers or hurdles to access. No login codes, no institutional affiliations, just click and read! Anyone with an internet connection can read or download an OA book for free.

At the University of Michigan Press, open access is one of many ways we strive to deliver the best scholarship to the broadest possible audience. Knowledge equity is one of the core goals at the University of Michigan, and offering access to our high-quality scholarly books is how we help contribute to the University’s goals, including promoting life-changing education and democracy and civic and global engagement. You can find all of the University of Michigan Press open access books on our e-reading platform, or visit our Open Access page to learn more about open-access book publishing. If you live in the State of Michigan, you can also access hundreds of regional-interest books for free through the Library of Michigan’s Read Michigan program.