Your recent article, "Books: Aiming to buy, sell, not break the bank" (Tech Fundamentals - June 21) did not accurately represent the realities of today's textbook market.
Nor did it make clear that textbook publishers' primary focus is on meeting the educational needs of students while holding down the cost of course materials.
Instructors want their students to succeed by having the latest information and the most up-to-date materials. Faculty members are the ones choosing the textbooks based on what they believe is best for their students' education. According to a 2005 Zogby International study, 80 percent of the surveyed faculty said it is important for textbook materials to be as current as possible.
Publishers' revision cycles have been steady for more than a decade, averaging 3.9 years for the most popular editions according to an August 2008 study by the California state auditor, enabling a single text to be resold as many as 12 times or more in its lifespan.
Publishers understand students' concerns about the cost of higher education and are aggressively working to provide them with multiple options and a variety of prices for their learning materials.
They will continue their efforts to provide students with the best educational materials in the world in the most cost-effective manner possible.
Katie Test
Assistant Director for Higher Education Association of American Publishers
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Someone didn't take too kindly to the accusation that new textbooks are updated to kill the used book market it seems. What is the reason that textbooks here cost way more than the international editions I buy online? The only difference is the hard vs. soft cover as far as my experience has been.
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If the publishers are really so concerned about us students, then they can agree to voluntarily take themselves out of business, give all their copyrights over to the original authors, and then allow those authors to put their books online. That way, students can learn for free.
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The rule of twelve propagated in the article assumes that every semester, including intercession and summer semesters, will need the book. They won't. If a course is only available during the fall semester, at most three students will get to use it over four years. (3.9 years does not make 4.) If we discount intercession and summer semesters, but admit every fall and spring semester henceforth will require the book, only seven students can benefit from use of the same text.
The author says that professors are vigilant of ways to save students money. The steady rise in new editions leaves professors no option but to shun them. That they believe textbooks should be updated regularly does not mean they will have their students buy the most recent textbooks.
Textbook manufacturers like the one you represent will lose money in the long run. They need to send their updates into cyberspace.
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