The High Price of College Text Books
If you are a full time college student this year, you are probably paying about $1,000 on college text books. According to reports, between 1986 and 2004 textbooks prices have increased an average of six percent per year –well above the rate of inflation.Why are text book prices so high?
NEW EDITIONS
Used books from last year become relatively worthless because most professors require the new editions. These costly new editions usually have minor changes and are many times the same material with a few cosmetic changes.
"BUNDLING"
Book publishers love to add bells and whistles like CD ROMs, workbooks, quizes, and a variety of other material that the professor rarely uses (–or makes you wonder why you need a professor in the first place.)
FANCY AND EXPENSIVE BINDING
The text book industry says that text books are expensive to produce. No kidding! The heavy duty covers and glossy pages must cost a fortune. Text books are the heaviest books you will ever hold in your hands. But is it necessary to produce excessively bulky content? They could save money by "no frills" publishing using lighter paper or allowing access to electrong copies.
Selling Ads in College Text Books?
Some publishers are considering selling ads in their books in order to keep the price lower for college consumers. While some think that ads do not belong in academic text books, others think it's a great idea if it makes the books more affordable.
December 12, 2006
Posted in: College Retail
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