Textbook publishers on used books
More on the real "used book conundrum":
The press has been jumping all over the US General Accounting Office study on the increased cost of college texbooks released yesterday, which documents that:
- over the past two decades, textbook prices have increased at twice the rate of inflation
- publishers frequently update editions, even in subjects like Latin, which undermines the used book market
- in 2003-2004, students paid an average of $898 for textbooks and related supplies
- 700 professors at 150 universities have petitioned a publisher to "delay revisions until there have been substantial changes in content or teaching methods that merit revision"
(Read the study online -- the abstract, highlights (PDF), or full report (8mb PDF).)
Not surprisingly, the American Association of Publishers is unhappy with the numbers; they argue that the GAO "did not factor in the amounts of money students receive when they sell their used textbooks." It's nice to see that the AAP tout the ability to resell new books when it serves their interests--they don't respond to any of the critiques of frequent edition updates.
Comments
There's little more to add to this -- the US textbook industry is in an appalling state.
Throughout my undergraduate and graduate study years, (between 1989-2002) I only sold two textbooks; these were the appallinglly bad two of an otherwise good crop. Back then a textbook publication cycle was 2-4 years; now it seems like half a year to a year and a half.
Having taught since then, I've been dismayed to see the quality of the text material and the books themselves rapidly shooting for the bottom. The publishers seem to make a point of designing books that 1) nobody would want to keep, and 2) would not last long if they did keep them. Add to their sabotage of the possibility to buy/sell used copies, and the result is books of no value. A waste of resources and an increase in garbage.
I am a geographer, and have taught college courses in that subject. For my own reference and for extended class material, I always refer to textbooks from the 1970's'. These are written at a much more comprehensive and intellectual level than the cartoon and website inspired infotainment booklets now pushed. And those books still have intact bindings!
I refer to the people that are managing the present textbook corporations and their publication scams as book haters. Period.
Posted by: robert . | September 11, 2005 4:56 PM