CSHL Press publishes nine journals and 275 books. In 2020, despite the pandemic challenges and working from home, its staff produced all journal issues on time, added eight new books, and enabled the Press to make its largest-ever financial contribution to the Laboratory. For more than a decade, the four long-established research journals, Genes & Development, Genome Research, RNA, and Learning & Memory, have combined subscription access with open access for individual papers paid for by authors or their funders. A transition towards full open access began with a first institutional consortium financial contract to support free reading and publishing for the institutions’ faculty members. Further contracts are in negotiation with the goal of eliminating paid subscriptions for all four journals within five years. The two newest research journals, Cold Spring Harbor Molecular Case Studies and Life Science Alliance, were launched as open access. Both had increased submissions in 2020. The three review journals, CSH Protocols, Perspectives in Biology and Perspectives in Medicine, will remain subscription-based. Online usage of Press journals remained strong, with a 5% increase to more than 19.8 million article downloads in the year.
COVID-19 hastened the shift to online delivery of books and e-books, and direct sales through the Press website accounted for 25% of all book sales. The best sellers were John Hawkins’ biography Conscience and Courage and Carl and Suzanne Cohen’s Lab Dynamics: Management and Leadership Skills for Scientists.