Our Story

Our organization came into existence in response to a widely perceived sense that academic publishing today has been compromised by the development of global monopolies and the penetration of corporatist and managerialist values into both universities and the industry itself. These tendencies have eroded the independence of much academic publishing and have shifted the focus of editorial decision-making to commercial objectives.

While ensuring that scholarly, reviewing, and editorial standards are fully maintained, Palaver encourages research and writing that reflect in critical and original ways on accepted assumptions, take risks, and seek to break new ground. We are interested in projects that cross disciplinary boundaries and facilitate dialogues across genders, races, cultures, theoretical frameworks, and social, religious, and political perspectives. Palaver is a partner organisation with Global Reconciliation Incorporated.

Our brief has come also to include works of fiction, children’s literature, and poetic/artistic projects with an ethical focus. 

Palaver aspires to retain its independence from external funders. We seek to develop an approach that incorporates open access and a fair and flexible pricing model that avoids exploitation of authors and readers. 

As with many other independent publishers, the work of Palaver has been made possible by the technological changes of the last two decades, including the development of the Internet and eBook and print-on-demand platforms and the proliferation of social media. 

In order to increase the viability of projects and the number of works that can be published, and maximize returns to authors, we often favour a ‘hybrid,’ shared funding model that establishes respectful partnerships between the press and its authors. In cases where an open access model is not chosen, we are committed to keeping book prices as low as possible in order to make authors’ materials available to the widest possible readerships. 

Our advisory board assists us to develop policies that will ensure democratic processes of operation, ethical practices, and socially responsible contributions.