This semester, I adopted an “open-source” textbook, Exploring Business from Flat World Knowledge. (CBC radio recently did an interview with the company’s co-founder about their business model.) First, their text iss better than the one I was using, second, their supplements are better, and third, they have a pricing structure that’s favorable to my students (read free online, download e-copy for $20, order a b/w hard copy for $30, or order color hard copy for $40).
Maybe it’s a coincidence, but at the beginning of the semester I was contacted repeatedly by a book rep for one of the big textbook publishers. He left voicemails, sent emails asking when he and his colleague could meet with me, and left his card jammed into my office door. I pretty much ignored those attempts, because I’ve just adopted a new text THIS SEMESTER. I’m not changing to anything else right now, A) because I don’t want students to have trouble selling/buying used books and B) because I don’t want to rework my class 2 semesters in a row. I’m not even going to consider a new text for at leat 2 years.
Did he take a hint when I ignored him? Nope, he lay in wait for me outside class, and when I walked out said, “Can we follow you to your office?” My response was, “I don’t know, who are you?” He told me, and I said no, I was helping a student and had another class immediately after. He then pointed to Exploring Business and said he had something similar that he thought I’d like, and could he send me a copy. Yeah, why not?
Well, it arrived toady. It’s paperback, short, and styled to look like a magazine. The typography and graphic design inside give me a headache, they’re so busy.
But here’s the kicker: the book costs $55, and the online materials are only available with the purchase of a new text. It also says on the cover “2009-2010 edition,” which indicates they may be on an annual revision cycle.
I don’t think they understand competition: their book costs almost twice what the one I’m using does, and there’s zero market for used books because the supplements only come with a new text. Yeah, that’s a great deal for my students. </sarcasm> In addition to the content, I’m also concerned about the prices my students pay for textbooks. I dropped a text in one class because the new edition had a price that was only a few buck less than TUITION. That’s just plain wrong. Do they think they’re fooling anyone when they reduce the price by 40% but then tie in online materials that eliminate the used market and go to an annual revision cycle? Rather than finding a new business model, they’re making desperately anti-competitive moves to hold up the old dying model. Are they just trying to drive more traffic to Textbook Torrents?
