Comments on: Why You Pay So Much For College Textbooks

By: Sean Ogden

Sean Ogden — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:41:42 +0000

I haven’t had a chance to finish reading this because I’m on my way to work. But in your intro when you talk about how its quite possible that the cost to research and create the book might justify such a high price. I’m sure you don’t agree, but just as food for thought, ponder this. Usually in cases where there is high fixed cost to make a product for a market with limited demand, the initial cost is extremely high and it goes down. For textbooks, it’s hard to analyze this because a used book isn’t just an old text book, its more like an entirely different class of good, because they’re usually obsolete due to the new editions coming out (I think you discussed that). But you can look at the old edition vs. new edition, where the content of the book hasn’t changed significantly (like when they publish a new edition to add an apostrophe). The cost increases by much more than inflation, and the cost to produce the book hasn’t changed. These are definitely not cost driven price increases (well not entirely, everything has a cost factor, but I’d bet money that this one is relatively small). It is undoubtedly, as you say, the monopoly effect.

By: benhughes

benhughes — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:57:55 +0000

Indeed the concept of open source books becoming mainstream is very interesting. Few could have imagined 30 years ago that open source software would have become fully mainstream. However, I still think the idea of open source books is a long way off and there are some institutional problems with this actually being implemented in college classrooms. Until then governments and institutions should pursue incentive-based policies to account for the market failure that’s clearly evident in the college textbook industry.

By: Gordon Rogers

Gordon Rogers — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:53:50 +0000

Your frustrations will cease once two initiatives come to fruition. One is called CK12 and is aimed at providing open source textbooks to the K-12 education market, and the other is Flatworld Knowledge:. Here is a blurb from a presentation they gave at the Open Education 2007 COnference in Utah, Sept 2007:
“Flat World Knowledge will publish free and open-source
college textbooks by authors from the world’s top Business
Schools. We will facilitate a vibrant social teaching and
learning network around our books enhancing our content
through the community. Core principles include usability for
customers, and sustainability for Flat World Knowledge and
its partners. ”
So there is hope, but you may have graduated before it’s available.
Gordon Rogers
http://www.connect2books.org