2008 Woodie Awards
Costs of textbooks come from many factors
n According to the Association of American Publishers, the research, writing, editing, design and review of a book can cost up to $1 million.
Nick Stockton and Jeffrey Mendoza
Issue date: 9/27/06 Section: News
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The price of textbooks seems to be a universal bonding issue among students and professors on just about any college campus one is likely to visit.
The prices seem to rise every year. So just what causes the discrepancy between the price of books one would try to purchase at their local neighborhood bookstore and those found at a college bookstore?
Speculations run the gamut from conspiracies involving the student government to a complex racket orchestrated by the publishing companies.
The truth seems to be tied in to the vary nature of the books themselves.
Much of the cost involved in producing a book relies on how many copies were produced (called volume), the quality of the paper (called the stock), the inclusion of supplemental materials (called supplemental materials), and the research costs involved with creating new texts and revising the old.
Another perception is that student textbooks increase in price every year.
This has been shown to be true, such as in this review of the book listing "Books in Print" (Bowker), has increased at a rate of 1.6 percent from 1999-2004.
The national inflation level for consumer prices during the same time frame was 2.4 percent according to Economic Education Link Online.
This relates to the majority of the cost of textbooks production, which comes from the intellectual cost. The research, writing, editing, design, and review of a book can cost up to $1 million, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
The problem is that these books often only sell in the tens of thousands.
Lower volume of sale increases the end cost because the price of printing is not offset by the large sales numbers.
The quality of the paper is an important variable because often publishers of textbooks on glossy and or full color paper.
The AAP says that they often offer low-price alternatives such as one- or two-color editions, loose-leaf editions, split editions, black-and-white editions, custom books, abbreviated editions, electronic books and complete learning packages.
The prices seem to rise every year. So just what causes the discrepancy between the price of books one would try to purchase at their local neighborhood bookstore and those found at a college bookstore?
Speculations run the gamut from conspiracies involving the student government to a complex racket orchestrated by the publishing companies.
The truth seems to be tied in to the vary nature of the books themselves.
Much of the cost involved in producing a book relies on how many copies were produced (called volume), the quality of the paper (called the stock), the inclusion of supplemental materials (called supplemental materials), and the research costs involved with creating new texts and revising the old.
Another perception is that student textbooks increase in price every year.
This has been shown to be true, such as in this review of the book listing "Books in Print" (Bowker), has increased at a rate of 1.6 percent from 1999-2004.
The national inflation level for consumer prices during the same time frame was 2.4 percent according to Economic Education Link Online.
This relates to the majority of the cost of textbooks production, which comes from the intellectual cost. The research, writing, editing, design, and review of a book can cost up to $1 million, according to the Association of American Publishers (AAP).
The problem is that these books often only sell in the tens of thousands.
Lower volume of sale increases the end cost because the price of printing is not offset by the large sales numbers.
The quality of the paper is an important variable because often publishers of textbooks on glossy and or full color paper.
The AAP says that they often offer low-price alternatives such as one- or two-color editions, loose-leaf editions, split editions, black-and-white editions, custom books, abbreviated editions, electronic books and complete learning packages.
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