James Butcher

I help editors and publishers create impactful journals. Ex Lancet. Ex Nature Portfolio. Best years are ahead of me.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@maw_tweets The first draft had “you could bury some bodies in there” instead.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@JenniferARegala @CScienceEditors @PracheeAC On this platform @Edit0r_At_Large and @stuartcantrill immediately spring to mind.

Is influencer the right word? Does being opinionated in public create influence? There are very few voices that speak about our industry but reach beyond it. Most are EiCs of top journals.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

This is the best article title I've read in a while:
https://t.co/LFMd5u7lec

[Dalmeet Singh Chawla | ਦਲਮੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਚਾਵਲਾ @DalmeetS]

With the @gatesfoundation no longer paying article-processing charges, what does the future of science publishing look like? My latest for @cenmag: https://t.co/m7bRBzj1bx @Journalologist, @JohanRooryck, @jasonpriem @researchremix @cshperspectives @unpaywall #OpenAccess

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@DrWasiuLawal @DalmeetS @cenmag @gatesfoundation @JohanRooryck @jasonpriem @researchremix @cshperspectives @unpaywall @ACSPublications I don't think there's such a thing as "the publisher's perspective". There are a wide variety of opinions out there.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

You can read the full analysis in this week's Journalology newsletter:

https://t.co/L0dUhpKy1w

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

Research article output in fully OA journals fell by 16% in the first half of this year, compared with the first six months of 2023.

By contrast, hybrid OA grew by 2.7%.

Subscription content was broadly constant.

But that's only part of the story.

(1/n)

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

Elsevier and Springer Nature have bucked the trend and are doing particularly well.

Elsevier published 14% more research articles in H1 2024 compared with H1 2023.

Springer Nature grew by 18%.

The Empire Strikes Back.

(3/n)

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@stuartcantrill @NatureMaterials Wow. This role doesn’t come up often! Vincent, if you read this, what a legacy you leave.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@Edit0r_At_Large We don't know what the debt is now. Some has been paid off each year. But, yes, the interest will be significant. e.g. 5% interest on €1bn is €50m a year.

The point being that the debt is there because PE firms took cash out of the business. See: https://t.co/IUIdP8YX3F

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

In 2022 the adjusted operating profit was €487 million on revenues of €1821 million (26.7% margin).

In 2023 the adjusted operating profit was €511 million on revenues of €1853 million (27.6% margin).

The margin increased.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

Some may think annual reports are dull, but I don't.

Last week Springer Nature released its annual report, which provided details on their operations and profitability.

You can read all about it here:
https://t.co/Qqlv55OUtB

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

So Springer Nature, which has a significant financial incentive to publish more papers, has a high rejection rate.

We focus a lot on corporate profit margins. Perhaps we should focus just as much on the quality of the product we get as tax payers for funding academic research.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@Edit0r_At_Large Taxes and interest on the debt are part of EBIT (operating profit; earnings before interest or tax)

The debt itself is a bit of a red herring. Private equity firms often take cash out of a business and replace it with debt.

It's not clear what SN's current debt is.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@drjuliashaw @AdamRutherford "Subject" is not used in the NEJM. See: https://t.co/g8w177ZABs

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@drjuliashaw @AdamRutherford You might want to fact check first. I haven’t worked at TL in well over a decade. I can send you the email address of someone to speak to about this if you like.

I doubt you’ll find “subject” used in any papers published by the top medical journals.

[James Butcher @Journalologist]

@akabconsulting Nah, that’s @dovere1’s job. I appreciate the sentiment, though.