Book smart: Why do textbooks cost so much?

Greg Eichten
WINONAN

  

 

 

 
 
The high cost of college textbooks is a source of annoyance and frustration for many Winona State University students. On Wed. Mar. 26, representatives of the Winona State Bookstore and the independently owned store, The Bookshelf, gave a presentation which answered the question: Why do textbooks cost so much?
Chris Livington, owner of The Bookshelf, attempted to explain why books cost so much by looking at the issue from the perspective of the publishers.
“One of the largest aspects affecting book prices are shorter print runs and shorter edition life due to proliferation of used books,” said Livington. “Publishers need to turn out editions quicker in order to make any money at all.”
Publishers can only make money off of the textbooks one time, whereas used books can, and often are, sold several times.
In order to compete with used books, publishers employ tactics such as turning out several editions of a textbook that are only slightly altered, including websites and DVDs to accompany the textbooks, and printing smaller quantities of books on a need basis.
All of these factors contribute to increased cost.
Another contributing factor is the competition between publishers.
“Publishers are trying to market their product to professors. They are competing with each other, so they need to have better products. Better products are more expensive,” said Livington.
Livington, along with Karen Krause of the Winona State Bookstore, provided an itemized breakdown of what makes up the price of textbooks. Out of a book that costs a hundred dollars, $7.00 of profit would go to the publisher, $11.70 would go to the author, and 4.50 would go to the bookstore. The rest of the money would go to printing and editing costs, shipping costs, operation costs, and staff salaries.
Krause provided information about how the Winona State Bookstore is operated.
“When I first started hundred dollar books were rare. We were shocked when they first started coming in,” said Krause. “Now nursing students can pay as much as eight-hundred or nine-hundred for their textbooks.”
“When we’re acquiring books we will try to utilize as many used book sources as we can before we buy from publishers,” said Krause. “We consider this a service.”
According to Krause, the textbook prices at the Winona State Bookstore are very contingent upon getting professor’s textbook orders in early and having students sell back their books to the bookstore immediately.
The more books that they can buy from students, the less they have to buy from the publishers.
“We’re taking a bigger risk by buying books from students. Faculty members might decide to change books and we might have to eat that cost if books change, but it’s the best way we can aid students in lowering price of textbooks,” said Krause.
According to the Government Accountability Office, college textbook prices rose at twice the rate of annual inflation over the last two decades. However, textbook prices have not risen as much as tuition costs and other educational expenses.
Jim Armstrong, an English professor in the audience, said, “The reality is that books are cheap in this country. The problem is the lack of state support for education.”
Livington and Krause were of the opinion that textbooks are a better investment than many other things in college education. Krause said that she has never had a nursing student complain to her about textbook prices because of the knowledge they receive from the books.
Krause closed the presentation with a quote from Benjamin Franklin: “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Contact GJEichte1670@winona.edu