A communication gap between textbook publishers and professors
may be costing students hundreds of dollars at bookstores each
semester, according to a Public Interest Research Group report.
The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group surveyed 287
college and university professors about issues concerning the
textbook industry and its pricing strategies. Out of those polled,
77 percent said publishers’ sales representatives rarely
or never volunteered textbook prices, which may lead publishers
to inflate those prices, the report stated.
Although the price
of a textbook may be a large concern for students, it might not
be as big a concern for faculty when researching
a textbook and talking with sales representatives.
“I think that most faculty don’t ask a lot of questions
about those things,” said Ellen P. Susman, chair of Metro’s
Psychology Department. “Most faculty choose a book on its
merits rather than its price.”
There are times, however,
that professors may be swayed by the price of materials.
MASSPIRG
also polled professors about bundling – the practice
of packaging textbooks with CDs, workbooks and other supplementary
materials that increase its price. The study found that one-third
of professors could not order an unbundled book or were unaware
of it if they could.
Faculty members order bundled textbooks
because they are trying to save the students money or they want
the students to have
the supplementary material, Susman said.
“Sometimes these are books and readings that we use in the class
that they would need to buy separately … often they are
bundled and we’re told there’s no increase in the
cost of the textbook,” she said. “(The publisher)
will use this as an inducement for us to use that textbook because
they’re giving the students something.”
Rachel Hansen, the office coordinator for Metro’s English
Department, said she often advises faculty to order textbooks
and supplementary materials separately, without bundles, both
because of extra costs to the student and the problems of selling
the bundled materials back to the bookstore.
“I tell them to make sure they really need it bundled
and not only check with the sales representative, but do their
own research
for different options,” Hansen said.
The publishing of new
editions is another issue that can increase textbook cost to
students and interfere with the used-book market.
On average
new editions cost 12 percent more than the previous edition,
the report states. The survey also found that 71 percent
of professors thought new editions were necessary only sometimes
or rarely.
“New editions are created on average every four years,” said
Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education for
the Association of American Publishers. “Information changes
all the time, the applications and the technology used change,
students need the new information to solve the new problems.”
Hildebrand
explained that new editions are often blamed for students not
being able to sell back books, and while it is one of the
largest reasons for this problem, it is not the only one.
“Sometimes a professor will decide that they just want
a different book, and sometimes the problem is that the bookstore
has already
met its quota of that book,” Hildebrand said.
In light
of its findings, the report recommended keeping prices as low
as possible, providing accessible pricing information
and improving access to used books, rental programs, online swaps
and buybacks.
Stephanie Overbeck, the head coordinator of the
higher education and textbook program for CoPIRG, the Colorado
chapter of the
Student Interest Research Group, emphasized the report’s
usefulness.
“I’m not sure that the report itself will change in how
publishers market and sell their books,” she said. “But
it will help change the way teachers go about buying books, making
them more aware about insisting to know the price before
they purchase, as well as informing the public of their tactics.”
