Sustainability in open access publishing: The e cancer case study

Key points Innovative business models to complement or replace traditional models of funding academic publishing are currently proliferating. Not relying solely on one source of funding is a key factor in sustainability. Pay what you can afford (PWYCA) is a new model for article processing charges (APCs) providing both a revenue stream and an opportunity to raise awareness of the cost of publishing amongst authors. Treating a journal as part of an overall enterprise rather than as a stand‐alone business contributes significantly to its sustainability.