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I I t Prices On the Rise C Ii MME s. s Ol II 0 00 a II IIII L u II J a k JJ a 1 c o II c o O r o. o II h j So SoS 0 o Cl S c E cE r A II Maryland MarIand professor John Pease is frustrated with ith the practice of bundling college textbooks with other materials such as study guides making the books more expensive Margaret Webb The Washington Post PostAs PostAs PostAs As college students across the country settle into their dorms donns and class routines this month many of them are feeling feeling feeling feel feel- ing the lingering pinch of an unexpected bill the high price of college textbooks Though the dramatic increase in college tuition in recent years is well known students and parents are finding finding finding find find- ing that the costs keep coming even after a student is on cam cam- pus as many textbooks can cost well over Some college and public- public interest groups charge that the publishing industry is forcing textbook prices higher by introducing unnecessary new editions and packaging books with expensive study materials materi mated als that not all students want or need The National Association of College Bookstores says wholesale prices of college textbooks have risen nearly 40 percent in the past five years And nd students are finding that many of the same saIVe same books are sold overseas at much lower prices Some students are getting more aggressive about buying used books when possible through multi-campus multi Web sites such as Books on Campus and And some schools are also establishing establishing establishing lishing and promoting used- used book exchanges to help stu stu- stu- stu dents The really resourceful on campus have even gone as asfar asfar asfar far as ordering their books from overseas Web sites where prices can be significantly significantly significantly cantly cheaper for new books- books th though doing so means a a a longer shipping time and no returns Industry experts say that it itis itis itis is hard to measure the impact of the alternative sales channels channels channels chan chan- nels and that some of it may maybe maybe maybe be masked by price increases The 34 year billion-a-year higher-education higher publishing industry says that it must keep its material current to win schools' schools support and that prices are competitive in each market Industry officials See Textbooks continued on p page g I u Textbooks continued from page 4 defend new editions churned out by major higher tion publishers Thomson Learning Pearson Education and McGraw They argue that texts must be continually continually continually con con- modernized if publishers publishers publishers pub pub- lishers want to keep the attention attention attention atten atten- tion of today's college students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents who are used to the graphics and interactivity of the Internet The debate has even landed in Congress where hearings were held on the matter this summer and legislators asked the Government Accountability Office to launch an investigation of college college college col col- col- col lege textbook prices If a student signs up for a class they're pretty much at atthe atthe atthe the of the mercy publishers said Rep Howard Buck McKeon R who led the hearing Its not like they have any other place to go McKeon and others claim the publishing academic-publishing industry has insulated itself from traditional market forces to increase profit The constant constant constant con con- stant reissuing of editions in particular is viewed as a way to force professors and students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents into using and buying new books A study this year by the California Student Public Interest Research Group found that the average release time between textbook editions editions editions edi edi- edi- edi is 38 years regardless of whether the information has changed since the previous ous version Of the textbooks surveyed new editions cost 58 percent more than the older version rising to an average cost of Laura a spokeswoman for the National Association of College Bookstores complained complained complained com com- that new editions also are coming out more frequently frequently frequently fre fre- fre- fre than they used to maybe may be every three years instead of five years she said That turnover means that students cant can't buy cheaper used textbooks as often as they once could because older versions are quickly out of date We know that some kids are just not buying the books she said And that defeats the whole purpose of ofa a college education Some academics say the churning out of new editions is designed purely to increase profit for the publishing giants Publishers make their money on new books said John Pease an associate professor professor professor pro pro- fessor of sociology at the University of Maryland at College Park who has been closely following the text text- pricing book-pricing issue Once they've published a textbook and theres there's a zillion of them out there that's it for their profit until they can come up with a new edition or some sort of technique to sell more books One of the techniques Pease and others cite is the bundling of books with other materials such as study guides Web site access test questions ROMs CD and helping helping helping help help- more These ons add-ons are ing to drive up p the cost of books Publishers say new editions are aimed at including newer teaching techniques and more modem information or interpretations interpretations interpretations inter inter- even in more stable stable stable sta sta- sta- sta ble disciplines like history When you had a history book it was all about dead white men tod today men y you have to tomake tomake tomake make sure women and minorities are well represent ed said J. J Bruce Hildebrand executive director for Jor higher education for the Association of American Publishers Professors also like to order books that have more interesting interesting interesting interest interest- ing charts and graphics because students respond to them Hildebrand said The newer the copyright the greater the demand because of the way books are being redesigned he said But those fancier pictures and more thorough flow charts are expensive to design and pay royalties on he said Moreover Hildebrand said most textbooks can be ordered in less expensive versions versions versions ver ver- even in a black-and- black white three-ring-binder three version version version ver ver- sion that might only cost 25 while the fully loaded book might push There is debate in the academic academic academic acad acad- emic community about whether professors are sufficiently sufficiently sufficiently informed of the costs- costs and the alternatives If If commissioned sal sales s youre you're a necessarily in m in its it's not rep interest to promote the your availability of those items said of the college college college col col- col- col stores association lege The University of Maryland's Pease also said there are plenty of faculty who simply aren arent aren't t members aware of book prices They haven't thought about it and they're busy and they're doing other things he said Professors may be unwittingly unwittingly unwittingly tingly contributing to the rising rising rising ris ris- ris- ris ing costs of textbooks Publishers say professors are asking for more content for teaching and learning which is leading to the addition of so many learning tools But if the professor does not specify that those extras should be besold besold besold sold separately they are likely likely likely like like- ly to be bundled with the book at a single higher price- price and students have no choice but to buy the entire package The study by the California Student Public Interest Research Group found that the practice of bundling books with required non-required materials rose 21 percent between consecutive editions Hildebrand defends the lower prices publishers charge overseas arguing that US U.S. publishers have to price books lower there to break into a market Book prices here might be higher without that added volume he said Its Its a way t to hold the overall price down for both sides of the pond he said |