Why you’re being forced to spend so much on textbooks.
By Ben Waxman, Juniata College
Friday September 1, 2006
Many college freshmen will be in for a nasty surprise this week when they take their first college course syllabi to the campus bookstore. They will be horrified to discover that the handful of books required for just one class may set them back hundreds of dollars. For upperclassman, this is already old news, and they’ve either wearily resigned themselves to it or devised complicated strategies to get through courses without buying every book. A full-course load often means spending upwards of $500 per semester on assigned readings. A Government Accountability Office study found the average was $900 per year for the 2003-2004 academic year. The report also found that between 1986 and 2004 textbooks prices increased an average of six percent per year, well above the rate of inflation. And students studying hard sciences like biology or chemistry often have to shell out over $100 for a single text book.
Why are prices so high? First, publishers restrict the used book market by constantly publishing new editions of each book. Since professors often require students to have the most recent edition of any textbook, the used copies from last year become relatively worthless. The new edition might be worthwhile if it had new material, but most changes are usually minor and cosmetic. This squashes the used book market and artificially inflates prices, even though 87 percent of professors say they prefer including new information in a supplement instead of producing a new textbook edition.
Another tactic used by the textbook industry to make books more expensive is called "bundling." Textbooks are filled with all kinds of useless bells and whistles to justify high prices. These include CD-ROMs, workbooks, and a variety of other add-ins that most professors rarely use. These supplements are supposed to enrich the educational experience, but are little more than a way to enrich textbook companies.
The textbook industry claims that high prices are justified because text books are expensive to produce. This is true, but there is much that publishers could do to make books less expensive for consumers. The easiest thing to do would be to allow students to download textbooks directly from a centralized website. This would save tremendously on both printing and distribution. By allowing access to electronic copies, publishers can sell directly to technologically savvy students; many of them, such as are beginning to do.
Some students need hard copies of assigned reading. But textbook publishers can make these cheaper as well. Some companies, like Thomason Learning, Harper Collins, and Houghton Mifflin have already begun issuing “no frills” copies of text books. These have soft covers and use a much lighter binding. These low-cost textbooks might not be flashy, but they are adequate.
So professors can help control textbook costs in a variety of ways. First, they can make sure that textbooks for their courses are offered online and in a “no-frills” version. If a publisher does not offer these options, professors can threaten to take their business elsewhere. Professors should also be lenient in allowing students to use older editions, which would open up the used book market.
Professors and students should not be the only people fighting for affordable textbooks. More than a million college students attend public universities that are financed by tax dollars. It’s time for our government officials to take action. A good first step would be to require campus bookstores at publicly funded schools to carry books that have both electronic and “no frills” editions. These requirements would force the textbook industry to start creating low-cost options. According to James v. Koch, professor of economics and president emeritus at Old Dominion University, and recognized expert on the subject, the other steps schools should take is to ensure that professors know the price of the books they order, which they often don’t, and that they institute rental systems, whereby students can rent and return books each year for less than the cost of buying them.
Higher education is an important investment in our collective future. Financial barriers exist for many potential students, and textbooks are no small part of the equation. Inflated prices should have no place in the realm of higher education. Professors, institutions of higher education, and publishing companies should work to make this aspect of college more affordable.
Ben Waxman is a student at Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA. He can be reached at benwaxman@gmail.com.
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Comments
The Make Textbooks Affordable Campaign recently issued a report, “Textbooks for the 21st Century,” that echoes many of these sentiments. The major textbook publishers are failing to offer adequate low-cost alternatives, and as a result more and more low-cost—and sometimes entirely free!—textbooks and sources are starting to emerge in the market.
This is just a start, though. While professors are not the problem, they can be a huge part of the solution. By insisting that publishing sales representatives disclose the cost, expected shelf-life and low-cost versions of textbooks, professors can help make textbooks more affordable and education more accessible for their students. By getting the most use out of textbooks as possible, professors will help the used book market thrive—which, until things change, is still usually students’ best hope for buying their books without breaking the bank.
Go here for a copy of our recent report, including tips on where to find low-cost options:
— Sabrina Case - Sep 1, 06:26 PM - #http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com/newsroom.asp?id2=26063
Another great alternative is eBooks.
A few publishers are begining to offer etexts as an alternative—check out www.freeloadpress.comNot only are eBooks cheaper they have added advantages in terms of compactness and searchability.
— Genene Miller Cote - Sep 2, 06:40 AM - #There is a subset of professors—I choose to characterize them as bottom-feeders—who make annual amendments to their own textbooks and require their students to purchase the newest edition. Would that they had the character to forego annual royalties & produce supplements!
— Exum Bauer - Sep 7, 05:55 PM - #There are a handful of colleges across the country that are starting to rent textbooks to students rather than forcing students to purchase the books. I only know of Eastern Illinois University (http://www.eiu.edu/~textbks/), but if you are in a position to make change on your campus, I highly recommend looking in to it!!
— Robin Zazove - Sep 7, 05:55 PM - #Here’s an old idea from the previous generation. What would professors do if they no longer received ‘complimentary’ copies?
— Seaemus Scott - Sep 7, 09:43 PM - #At UL Lafayette in Louisiana there is an off campus store that rents books also.
— Vontilla Steven - Sep 7, 11:03 PM - #One other factor that wasn’t mentioned here as a reason for high text book prices is concentration of ownership. There is less than a handful of textbook publishers, and they make a majority of their money from textbook sales—captive audience. The problem is not professors, though I agree that there are ways for professors to try to meet the needs of students, but the book publishing cartel. It’s tough for a professor to threaten to go elsewhere when there is nowhere else to go.
— Jennifer - Sep 8, 09:28 AM - #Hate to add a discordant voice but if some of the luxury goods like fancy cell phones and ipods were sold off there would be plenty for textbooks. The fact that education isn’t a priority is interesting, short run vs. long run?
— edwardseco - Sep 12, 01:14 PM - #The problem is reflective of the entire academic system. It no longer seems to be as interested in providing education as in selling a piece of paper that claims to have educated a person.
— Kozzmo - Sep 13, 03:37 AM - #How about Professrs assign
— Hector - Sep 18, 01:56 AM - #textbooks that are free on the web? Why not?