Why are so expensive textbooks? Part 1

Many sites are there to save money for school books, but that's why textbooks cost so much? Let's explore the question, examine three different perspectives: a university professor and author of textbooks, textbook publishers and university libraries. We hope this information will help you understand why they are so expensive textbooks.

Textbooks

From the perspective of an author

Henry L. Roediger III, professor of psychology at Washington University in St. LouisTextbook author, has written an article about the prices of textbooks for high academic observers. According to Roediger, textbooks are expensive because of the popularity of the market uses as a textbook. He cited the market for used textbooks as a problem because students can not sell each other, but the purchase of books to be used book wholesaler, then sent the book to another school, where you use the next year. Certain wholesale hand, in the library, the purchaseManuals for students in a small fraction of the price paid by the students and then sell the books again next group of students at an inflated 'used books' prices. This cycle is contradicted by the publishers and authors to be fairly compensated for their work in the production of textbooks. Roediger has compared the practice of vendors of pirated music and not pay royalties to record companies and artists. The only difference, he said, is that the legal industry and music textbooks usedPiracy is not.

A concrete example is provided:

His book, Experimental Psychology: Understanding the psychological research has been published by Wadsworth Publishing. The library pays the company back $ 73.50 for the book. Authors will receive 15 percent royalties on the book, so that the three authors to share the $ 11, and the editor does the rest. But at the University of Washington library, the book is the list price $ 99.75 to $ 26.25 (or 35.7Percent). The authors are 11.02 U.S. dollars for his work, while the book $ 26.25 per pound, the gross profit.

If a student sells his book to buy, the library at a price that will be purchased very strong, between 25 and 50 percent. Suppose that experimental psychology has 40 percent of the price of new books (this is a generous assumption) purchased. The redemption price is $ 39.90. After the deal marks a dramatic sell the library andthe book. Assuming that the used book in the store for $ 75, which sold like a bargain compared to the new price of $ 99.75 book sounds. The profit margin for the library book is $ 35.10 used, the benefits are even larger (more important) has been made in the new book ($ 26.25). Therefore, sales of second (and third and fourth, etc.) from the same book, uses the library, the company's books and make huge profits, while publishers and authors have notIncome.

According to Roediger, are publishers of textbooks a few options when it comes to lost profits. They are forced to the prices of textbooks in an attempt to increase its initial investment back. Publishers, books to read often, because they want to book profits will go to the publisher and the author of libraries.

Why are so expensive textbooks? Part 1

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