Many states are considering new laws to combat rising textbook prices, but one case that bears watching is California. No publisher will ignore California and its huge population of college students, so what happens here will shape the entire textbook industry, particularly used and online sales.
Textbook publishers squeeze more profits every year from students by continually issuing new editions. In many cases, the new editions are a transparent attempt by publishers to destroy the market for used copies.
Often the “new” editions are simply a repackaging of the previous edition, perhaps with a new cover design, a reordering of chapters, and a few pages of additional material. Many students buy used copies of the previous edition online, saving $75 or more from the price of the new edition.
However, buying a used textbook is a gamble for students because there is always the chance that they’ll be tested on some new material added since the previous edition. And here is where California’s new law comes in: Apparently the state will require publishers to print inside each textbook a summary of its changes since the book’s previous edition.
This could prompt more students to take a chance on used copies because they’ll know exactly which material has been added to textbooks or deleted.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to decide between two competing bills by Oct. 12, each requiring more concessions from publishers. One demands “a price list of all books in a subject area, an estimate of how long the publisher intends to keep the texts on the market and a list of substantive changes the newest editions contain.” The lists would be provided to college professors and posted online.
The other bill requires publishers to “print on or in new texts a summary of differences between the current and previous editions and provide faculty, upon request, a printed or online list of wholesale prices and edition changes.” This bill would also outlaw restrict the resale of instructors’ editions. Because these books contain test questions and answers, their availability supposedly encourages teachers to order new editions with different test material.
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California law could strengthen used textbook sales
Textbook publishers squeeze more profits every year from students by continually issuing new editions. In many cases, the new editions are a transparent attempt by publishers to destroy the market for used copies.
Often the “new” editions are simply a repackaging of the previous edition, perhaps with a new cover design, a reordering of chapters, and a few pages of additional material. Many students buy used copies of the previous edition online, saving $75 or more from the price of the new edition.
However, buying a used textbook is a gamble for students because there is always the chance that they’ll be tested on some new material added since the previous edition. And here is where California’s new law comes in: Apparently the state will require publishers to print inside each textbook a summary of its changes since the book’s previous edition.
This could prompt more students to take a chance on used copies because they’ll know exactly which material has been added to textbooks or deleted.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to decide between two competing bills by Oct. 12, each requiring more concessions from publishers. One demands “a price list of all books in a subject area, an estimate of how long the publisher intends to keep the texts on the market and a list of substantive changes the newest editions contain.” The lists would be provided to college professors and posted online.
The other bill requires publishers to “print on or in new texts a summary of differences between the current and previous editions and provide faculty, upon request, a printed or online list of wholesale prices and edition changes.” This bill would also outlaw restrict the resale of instructors’ editions. Because these books contain test questions and answers, their availability supposedly encourages teachers to order new editions with different test material.
More details are in the LA Times.
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