Pearson Replacing Print Textbooks with Digital For College Students

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by conan50

Cash grab.
https://www.newsweek.com/textbook-co...resell-1449860
This is sort of the worst case scenario for ebooks. Drives home the point you are renting, and not owning ebooks.

Yes, but students are renting and not purchasing textbooks, for the most part, so this is sort of the same thing. And Pearson does not get anything for book rentals apart from the initial sale. So they want to squish that business.

Google and Amazon both rent ebook textbooks. I have to think publisher gets a cut of that, unlike book rentals.

The other approach would be a subscription service like O’Reilly (safari books online), but for textbooks. But while it is clear how publishers make money renting etextbooks for $10/month each, it is not clear what they’d have to charge for an all you can eat service.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Kindleing

A large part of the problem is "Publish or Perish". Advancement in an academic career is strongly influenced by publishing papers and books, and always has been. Academics who don't have a strong record of being published do not get the choice positions.

Wally

I doubt that textbooks count as academic publications.

[Philippe D.]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I doubt that textbooks count as academic publications.

They don't count as academic publications, but (at least here in France) they are seen as proof of academic activity, and so will be counted positively for a promotion.

(But then, here they certainly don't bring much income to their authors - the authors will typically get a minuscule portion of a book's price, and since there is no tradition of forcing a textbook on students, sales are pretty low)

[drjenkins]

Originally Posted by leebase

Text books are a source of income for professors and colleges....this is nothing new...but it is at an egregious level IMHO.

When I went to college in the '70s over half my textbooks were written by my professors. My Fortran IV textbook was written by my Calculus professor, even though he did not teach computer science.

[haertig]

My college textbooks, back in the 70's, would cost about $100-$200 each. I wonder how high they will price these new eBook versions?