This useful reply could be the start of a much-needed online price-comparison service for all journals, published in all ways.
For price X do we get:
Serious reviewers?
Personal feedback from a qualified journal editor?
Good copyediting?
Effective distribution and active promotion of the journal?
A definite/known/knowable target audience?
Print-on-demand or print issue options?
Clear and attractive publication contracts?
Self-archiving rights?
Indexed journals?
Active link referencing?
Reader feedback management?
Contigency plans for possible closure of the journal?
Supplementary data storage?
Suitably-measured/meaningful impact factors?
etc.
If journals become too mega in their scope, there’s a good chance (statistically speaking) that not many people will be giving specific attention to production values in your area of the journal.
