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