 Which of these has the least to gain from going open access as presented in this article?
What Is Open Access? Shifting from ink on paper to digital text suddenly allows us to make perfect copies of our work. Shifting from isolated computers to a globe-spanning network of connected computers suddenly allows us to share perfect copies of our work with a worldwide audience at essentially no cost. About thirty years ago this kind of free global sharing became something new under the sun. Digital technologies have created more than one revolution. Authors who share their works in this way aren’t selling them, and even authors with purposes higher than money depend on sales to make a living. Imagine a tribe of authors who write serious and useful work, and who follow a centuries-old custom of giving it away without charge. For now, it doesn’t matter who these authors are, how rare they are, what they write, or why they follow this peculiar custom. Suppose that selling their work would actually harm their interests by shrinking their audience, reducing their impact, and distorting their professional goals by steering them toward popular topics and away from the specialized questions on which they are experts. If authors like that exist, at least they should take advantage of the access revolution. The dream of global free access can be a reality for them, even if most other authors hope to earn royalties and feel obliged to sit out this particular revolution. Open access is the name of the revolutionary kind of access these authors, unencumbered by a motive of financial gain, are free to provide to their readers. Open access (OA) literature is digital, online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. We could call it “barrier-free” access, but that would emphasize the negative rather than the positive. In any case, we can be more specific about which access barriers OA removes. A price tag is a significant access barrier.
 A short film producer looking to make a name for herself
 A short film producer looking to make a name for herself  An independently wealthy poet looking for people to read their work  A tenured faculty member wanting to publish their work on a very specialized topic  A graduate student in the sciences looking to publish their research