2008 Woodie Awards
Critics say textbook companies inflate prices
Jessica Riegel/The Daily Pennsylvanian
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: The Rest
As textbook publishers navigate a contentious market, they are attacked on many fronts.
Rhetorically, they are confronted by angry student activists; financially, by a booming used-book market; and now legislatively, by attempts to curb practices said to inflate book prices and make college less affordable.
Critics argue that powerful textbook companies take advantage of students who have little choice but to buy their products, but publishers see these criticisms as inaccurate and exaggerated, saying they must cater to consumer demands while coping with a changing market.
Nicole Allen, director of the student activist-run Make Textbooks Affordable campaign, said no built-in economic mechanisms keep textbook prices in check. A few conglomerates hold all the power, and because professors select their course books, students have little say in the process.
"Publishers can get away with practices no other industry would be able to get away with," Allen said.
One widely criticized tactic is frequent new editions, which publishers release about every three years with price increases of about 12 percent.
Allen said new versions often have few substantive revisions and serve to wipe older editions out of bookstores, eliminating opportunities for students to buy and sell used copies.
"Revisions are necessary in some cases, but in subjects like calculus and introductory physics, there haven't been major breakthroughs in centuries," she said.
Another controversial practice is bundling books with extras, like CD-ROMs and workbooks, which inflate prices by 10 to 50 percent. Resale value also decreases if supplemental materials are lost, damaged or used, Allen said.
Publishers say they provide supplements in response to professor demand and that students should use the tools to enhance their studies.
"People complain, 'what if I didn't use it?"' said Bruce Hildebrand, executive director of higher education for the American Association of Publishers. "We ask, 'why not?"'
Rhetorically, they are confronted by angry student activists; financially, by a booming used-book market; and now legislatively, by attempts to curb practices said to inflate book prices and make college less affordable.
Critics argue that powerful textbook companies take advantage of students who have little choice but to buy their products, but publishers see these criticisms as inaccurate and exaggerated, saying they must cater to consumer demands while coping with a changing market.
Nicole Allen, director of the student activist-run Make Textbooks Affordable campaign, said no built-in economic mechanisms keep textbook prices in check. A few conglomerates hold all the power, and because professors select their course books, students have little say in the process.
"Publishers can get away with practices no other industry would be able to get away with," Allen said.
One widely criticized tactic is frequent new editions, which publishers release about every three years with price increases of about 12 percent.
Allen said new versions often have few substantive revisions and serve to wipe older editions out of bookstores, eliminating opportunities for students to buy and sell used copies.
"Revisions are necessary in some cases, but in subjects like calculus and introductory physics, there haven't been major breakthroughs in centuries," she said.
Another controversial practice is bundling books with extras, like CD-ROMs and workbooks, which inflate prices by 10 to 50 percent. Resale value also decreases if supplemental materials are lost, damaged or used, Allen said.
Publishers say they provide supplements in response to professor demand and that students should use the tools to enhance their studies.
"People complain, 'what if I didn't use it?"' said Bruce Hildebrand, executive director of higher education for the American Association of Publishers. "We ask, 'why not?"'
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