Last year's revenues from APCs: NPG >$54m, Elsevier $53m, Wiley $42m, PLoS $37m, Frontiers $38m. Wiley's profit margin: 74%
https://psyarxiv.com/hk4gn/
The main contributors of scientific knowledge—researchers—generally aim to disseminate their findings far and wide. And yet, publishing companies have largely kept these findings behind a paywall. With digital publication technology markedly reducing cost, this enduring wall seems disproportionate and unjustified; moreover, it has sparked a topical exchange concerning how to modernize academic publishing. This discussion, however, seems to focus on how to compensate major publishers for providing open access through a pay-to-publish model, in turn transferring financial burdens from libraries to authors and their funders. Large publishing companies, including Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, PLoS, and Frontiers, continue to earn exorbitant revenues each year—hundreds of millions of dollars of which now come from processing charges for open-access articles. A less expensive and equally accessible alternative exists—widespread self-archiving of peer-reviewed articles. All we need is awareness of this alternative and the will to employ it.
This is simply called milking science for profits. It is unbelievable that scientists who find solutions for every problem cannot find a simple solution to share their research findings freely or cheaply. And it is even more puzzling none of the publishers won't pay the pay reviewers when the only criteria which makes it scientific is the peer review.
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