Frequently Asked Questions
Here we answer some common questions about accessing content on our website, orders, payments and fulfillments.
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De Gruyter Systems Upgrade
Dear customers,
In July 2025, De Gruyter replaced core software systems that run our business. This has affected key processes across the company, including ordering, invoicing, fulfillment, and customer service. While we anticipated and announced a period of disruption, the scale and duration of the challenges that followed unfortunately exceeded our expectations.
Since last July, key processes including order processing, shipping, fulfilment, and invoicing have not been operating at the standard our customers are used to.
Response times in our customer service team have also been severely affected as the result of a significant ticket backlog, with requests currently taking up to four weeks to be answered. We deeply regret the impact this has had on you.
We want to be clear that these disruptions are not a new normal, but the result of an extraordinary and temporary situation. Resolving them is our highest operational priority. In February 2026, we entered a dedicated stabilization phase - a structured, company-wide program to address every outstanding issue systematically. We expect this phase to conclude within approximately two months, at which point we expect to see a significant improvement in operational performance.
De Gruyter Brill is committed to being a reliable partner to the academic community, and we take that responsibility seriously. We are grateful for your continued patience, and we are determined to demonstrate through our actions that your trust in us is well placed.
This page will be updated regularly as the situation improves.
Current Issues: Status Update
Last updated: 9 April 2026
Below is a summary of the key issues currently affecting our customers, along with our best estimate of timelines for resolution.
1. Invoice delays and errors: Some customers are experiencing delays in receiving invoices or receiving invoices with incorrect data. We are redesigning our invoice process to resolve both the accuracy issues and to ensure legal compliance. Target completion: April 2026.
2. Royalty payments: Payments to authors and editors are currently delayed due to the system transition. A new royalties process is in development and will be rolled out in phases. Target completion: June 2026.
3. Metadata: Some eBook metadata, including title data, pricing, and availability information, may be incomplete or out of date in your systems. As a result, customers are experiencing problems with accessing data. Our teams are actively working to resolve outstanding metadata issues and restore normal delivery of updates. Target completion: May 2026.
4. Order processing and fulfillment: While order processing for print books, eBooks, and journals is operational, some customers are still experiencing delays or errors, particularly where data was affected during system migration. We are working through these issues on a case-by-case basis. We expect the number and severity of these issues to noticeably reduce over the next couple of months.
5. Reporting: Customers relying on reports or data exports may experience incomplete or delayed information while we complete the integration of our reporting systems. We are working to restore full reporting functionality.
6. Customer service response times: Due to the high volume of queries generated by the system transition, our Customer Service team is currently working through a significant backlog. Response times may be up to four weeks. We expect this to noticeably improve as underlying issues continue to be resolved.
IMPORTANT
To help us respond to you as quickly as possible, please always reply to De Gruyter Brill’s most recent email, keeping the ticket number in the subject line. Do not compose a new email. This ensures your query stays in the queue and reaches the right person without delay.
We understand how disruptive these issues are, and we are committed to keeping you informed. If you have an urgent query and are not hearing back, please contact your regional sales representative.
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Orders, Payments, and Fulfilment - For All Customers
Orders, Payments, and Fulfilment - For Institutions and Libraries
Generative AI at De Gruyter Brill
Generative AI technologies are already changing the way people use and retrieve information and knowledge. Given the recent rapid advances in AI technology, De Gruyter Brill has been discussing the possible impact of artificial intelligence on scholarly communications, our authors' academic work, and our mission as an publisher.
While we are aware of the challenges and risks that come with these advances, we also believe that artificial intelligence brings opportunities to further our mission of increasing the visibility, discoverability, and impact of academic research.
Below we have gathered information and FAQs related to the use of generative AI at De Gruyter Brill. We will be updating this page soon with more specific guidelines for authors on using generative AI in their work.
If you would like to contact us with questions or concerns, please contact legal-support@degruyterbrill.com.