Our Story

“Through eBound, I have the privilege of supporting independent publishers fulfill their crucial role in a rapidly changing world—helping them preserve the integrity of traditional publishing while remaining competitive in a global and digital marketplace.

— EMILY POZNANSKI
Managing Director, Paradigm Publishing Services & President, De Gruyter Brill, Inc.

eBound is a 501 (c) (3) public foundation registered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It was founded in 2022 by De Gruyter, a family-owned academic publisher headquartered in Berlin since 1749 with offices in Boston, Beijing, and across Europe. De Gruyter’s intention in founding eBound was to help small and independent publishers in the humanities and social sciences (HSS) find workable solutions to the most pressing challenges they face today. This commitment to the vitality of HSS publishing continues into the present as De Gruyter and Brill have joined forces to create De Gruyter Brill. 

eBound also funds original research projects designed to help the publishing industry develop workable strategies to tackle today’s most pressing challenges. 

Most recently, eBound has taken the lead in launching UPLOpen, a curated collection of open access scholarship from many of the world’s most prestigious university presses with a central focus on achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). eBound oversees UPLOpen's funding and coordinates UPLOpen’s multiple stakeholders, including publishers, academic libraries, university leaders, consortia, aggregators, vendors, funders, and authors.

For more information on these initiatives, see Our Activities page. 

Our Values

De Gruyter Brill eBound strives to be a force for good in the scholarly publishing community with its many stakeholders including authors, editors, peer-reviewers, readers, publishers, librarians, academic institutions, professional associations, and funding agencies.

  • We support efforts by the scholarly publishing community to create inclusive content and to make this content available to readers around the world, regardless of their needs or abilities. 

  • We believe it is important to actively address and dismantle barriers that preclude fair and equal opportunities for all members of the scholarly publishing community, including authors, readers, and staff. 

  • We support efforts by the scholarly publishing community to amplify a broad spectrum of voices and perspectives, ensuring that publications reflect and celebrate the rich tapestry of human experiences. In our workplace, we also strive to foster a welcoming environment for all.

  • We believe that scholarly publishers are uniquely positioned to amplify stories and voices that challenge injustices and advocate for systemic change.