Question 1

What is Thoth?

Accepted Answer

Thoth is a metadata management and distribution platform designed to address the challenges faced by small and medium-sized publishers in getting Open Access works into the book supply chain. It offers comprehensive open solutions to streamline metadata workflows and improve the discoverability and accessibility of scholarly books and chapters.

Question 2

How does Thoth benefit publishers?

Accepted Answer

Thoth significantly improves workflow efficiency for small and new OA publishers by minimising manual labour, reducing errors, and simplifying metadata management and distribution processes. It provides specialised features such as open APIs and freely-available metadata outputs in multiple formats tailored to the needs of OA publishers. Doing so, Thoth facilitates the uptake of good metadata practice for book- and chapter-level metadata by providing expert guidance on the variety of information needed to improve visibility and findability across the scholarly communications ecosystem.

Question 3

Why is Thoth needed?

Accepted Answer

Before moving to Thoth, OA publishers often encountered limitations with traditional tools like spreadsheets, including difficulty in generating various output formats, manual data entry prone to errors, and time-consuming distribution processes. Via its unique one-stop approach, Thoth streamlines these processes, making metadata management more efficient and error-free.

Thoth’s main goals are:

- To lower the entry barrier to good metadata management and practices for small/medium OA publishers who are currently struggling to produce their metadata to all the various different specifications that each distributing platform requires;
- To help distribute Open Access books, which have been systematically excluded from a book supply chain that was created for closed books;
- To expose quality and first-hand metadata, using industry standards, publicly for anyone to consume.

Question 4

What features does Thoth offer?

Accepted Answer

Thoth provides a range of solutions, including metadata creation, curation, and dissemination, automated distribution to various platforms, archiving and preservation services, DOI registration, integrations with other platforms, website and catalogue hosting, and cross-platform usage statistics.

For a comprehensive list of services browse our [Services page]((https://thoth.pub/services)).

Question 5

Is Thoth yet another commercial platform?

Accepted Answer

No\! Thoth is a non-profit, community interest company (CIC) dedicated to advancing open access publishing and supporting the scholarly community. Its mission is to provide innovative and open solutions to the challenges faced by small-to-medium-sized publishers, ensuring the long-term sustainability and accessibility of scholarly works.

Question 6

Hos much does Thoth cost?

Accepted Answer

Thoth offers a range of pricing options tailored to meet the needs of different publishers.

Our core Thoth platform is free to use and will always remain so, ensuring accessibility for publishers of all sizes. This is what we call **Thoth Oasis**.

For publishers looking for additional features and services that help to further streamline the complex task of disseminating one’s open access titles, Thoth Open Metadata offers dedicated subscription services to cover a publisher's needs with regards to dissemination (**Thoth Obelisk**), and usage statistics (**Thoth Sphinx**). These packages provide access to advanced features such as automated distribution to various platforms, automated DOI registration, archiving, cross-platform usage metrics, and more.

Thoth also has an all-in-one package in store (**Thoth Pyramid**) that combines open metadata management with automated dissemination, integrated website and catalogue hosting, and the provision of cross-platform usage statistics. Fee allocation varies depending on the specific services included, and the size of a publisher.

For detailed information on Thoth's pricing options and subscription packages, please visit the [Pricing page](https://thoth.pub/pricing).

Question 7

How does Thoth ensure data openness and interoperability?

Accepted Answer

Thoth operates on open-source principles, with all software being openly accessible. Additionally, metadata records generated by Thoth are released under a CC0 dedication, allowing for maximum interoperability and reuse. Through Thoth's open APIs, publishers (and anyone\!) can build catalogues, consume metadata records, and develop integrations with other platforms seamlessly.

Question 8

What platforms does Thoth distribute metadata to?

Accepted Answer

Thoth distributes metadata to various platforms crucial for scholarly publishing, including OAPEN Library, Zenodo, JSTOR, Project MUSE, the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB), Google Books, EBSCOHost, and more. With [Thoth's dedicated service packages](https://thoth.pub/pricing), publishers can expand their distribution reach and ensure wider visibility for their publications.

We are keen to work with publishers interested in disseminating their OA books to a large variety of platforms. The current platforms selected for Thoth dissemination  represent the most popular platforms as indicated by ten publishers who kindly agreed to share their views and preferences as part of a [workshop held in November 2023](https://doi.org/10.21428/785a6451.0daca04e).

That said, we in continuous exchange with publishers to learn more about their needs, e.g. via [this dedicated survey](https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/coventry/dissemination-of-oa-books-publishers-preferences). The feedback received helps us to expand the selection of platforms over time. We have prepared an extended list of platforms that we have on our radar. This list is available here: [Thoth Plus: List of Platforms](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W2IGcBV45aUv7bdT5_0fkgItPA3aqGRPBU9EbUbnpvM/).

Please don't hesitate to be in touch via [info@thoth.pub](mailto:info@thoth.pub) if you'd like to have a chat about how we might be able to support your individual dissemination strategy.

Furthermore, please consider adding your publisher's needs via [the dedicated survey "Dissemination of OA Books: Scoping Publishers' Platform Preferences"](https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/coventry/dissemination-of-oa-books-publishers-preferences).

Question 9

How does Thoth support archiving and preservation?

Accepted Answer

Our [Thoth dissemination](/pricing) workflows provide comprehensive archiving solutions to ensure the long-term availability of scholarly works. Partnering with trusted institutions like the Internet Archive, publishers can seamlessly archive their books, safeguarding them for future generations. For more details, visit our [Archiving page](/services/archiving).

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