Instructors are concerned about soaring textbook prices, too.  We appreciate everything they’re doing to keep quality high and costs low when it comes to textbooks and technologies.

@gwu.edu       

I joined the rebellion already. For one course I use my own electronic manuscript; students pay nothing for it. I may use another manuscript for a different course, again at no cost.  I am aware of open textbooks.

@colostate-pueblo.edu   

If you really believe what you say, you should encourage professors to forego textbooks altogether.  It is extra work, but I have not used a single textbook this year.”

@mail.wtamu.edu       
 
Thanks for letting me know.
 
@columbia.edu       

Way ahead of you.  I don’t use textbooks in my classes.

@ucmerced.edu       

Unless I’m required to use specific texts, I always consider the costs and give students time to use alternative methods of buying texts.  I just finished putting two kids through college.  I hear you.

@nmsu.edu

I am with you!  In the only course that I choose my own texts, they cost a total of under $30.  One is available free online as a pdf file, you can view or download it.  However, you should know, your instructors at NMSU have very little choice in the texts used.  Those decisions are made by program administrators here and in Las Cruces.  For any hope for action, and less exorbitantly priced texts, please forward your petition to the appropriate decision-makers. 

@atlantic.edu   

I appreciate your email and I share your pain. I have two kids in college myself. Some points that you should consider:  Although students may spend $1000 per year for books on average, they can recoup 40 to 50 percent of that back by reselling the books. So, the average is really like about $500 for books per year. The books can be sold back to the college bookstore or online. The following website searches for the highest return on books: http://bookscouter.com/

The trend for needing physical books will decline to nothing eventually. Online materials will be the norm. Publishers will charge for this content because they put lots of work into developing, selling, and supporting this electronic product. Students pay for an access code and there is no used resale market. Cost wise, using physical books may be cheaper for the student. I don’t use any books for my online course. But students need to purchase lab simulation software at $190. They will not be able to resell the software. 

I think that the bigger cost target to put your efforts into is college tuition. Private schools run about $30K a year, four-year publics run about $12K, and two-year publics run about $4K. If you look at <our school’s> budget, you will find that less than 30% of the college’s budget makes it to the classroom (instructional).  Most of the money goes to various administrators and workers. There are to many high-salaried administrators…They make twice as much as I do. That is the real problem and it leads to high tuition costs for the student.  Set your target higher. You’ll get more of a savings.

@skymail.csus.edu   

Interesting concept, there are a lot of free and open access books and articles in criminal justice et al, but to date no one has brought them together as a “text” per se.
Certainly bears some investigation and conversation
 
@csus.edu

I agree with your concerns about textbook prices, so my classes all have “recommended”” books - not “”required”” ones, and the tests only cover material we’ve gone over in class.

I am very concerned about the economics of textbook choice, and am pleased that you sent this email.  I looked at the website, and was equally pleased to see books from Flat World knowledge there.  I’m planning on using their intro book the next time I teach that, and would like to see cognitive and perception books as well.

@nmsu.edu   

I appreciate you letting me know about this.  I don’t have the authority to change or
order textbooks, but the department chair people do.  Have you sent this email to all of them for their consideration?
 
@ccc.edu   

Very effective e-mail - the suggestion of a free online textbook relevant to the courses I teach was brilliant!   For the reasons you stated, I either do not use a textbook, provide handouts/online reading links in Blackboard, or utilize the rental option (1/2 price to rent) through our college bookstore.  I ALWAYS look at the price of the book when selecting them for my courses.  I agree that the textbook industry is exploitative.

Thanks and keep up the good work,

@elac.edu   
 
I would be very happy to sit down and explain the process and thoughts that we consider before adopting a book.  I use a lot of online materials that contributes to the learning of the materials by students, so that has to considered as well. But I fully support your cause.
 
@mail.utexas.edu     

Thanks for your note.  Let me assure you we are constantly looking into all options (especially ebooks) for bringing the price down for students.

@tnstate.edu   

Please be advised that I have written my own textbook…and have been making it available to students electronically at no cost. 

How good the “open texts” are I do not know, but I am far from impressed by the adequacy of the commercially available and expensive texts that the publishers market.

@owu.edu   

First, let me assure you that I do understand that textbooks are expensive and that students are often pressed for money. However, none of the books I adopt ever comes close to the $200 figure you cite.  Nor does the combined book list for any class I teach. As a department, we discuss the cost of textbooks and ways to keep that cost down…

@ccc.edu   
 
I appreciate your email and wanted you to know that every semester, I (and other instructors) spend much time going through texts to consider the best alternatives at the best price. By best, this means books that students actually read (and we can tell by quality of comments, assignments, quizzes, etc.) and that are cost effective.
 
However, have you considered contacting book publishers and the bookstore as these are the price determining entities? Bookstores are often the final determiners of price as they add on a percentage of price mark-up (increasing the final price of the book).
 
For instance, the texts I have chosen have all been priced under $60 from the publisher but end up costing anywhere from $90 to over $100 dollars when they arrive at the bookstore. I only discovered this via the publisher, thinking that the $60 price would the final one cost of the text.
 
Again, many thanks.
   
@kirtland.edu
 
I would like you to know that the textbooks that our department pick are based on many factors. These factors include quality, continuity from course to course, and cost. Transferability is an issue as well. Many schools look at syllabus and the text used to determine if they will accept credit from Kirkland. Cost is a major topic every time we pick a textbook. The math department makes concerted effort to use texts that are used for more than one semester…We have reviewed many of the low cost texts and have found that they are of low quality for the most part. Low cost texts almost always lack support materials and are not compatible with online courses. However, we are in the process of reviewing one that we may try.
 
Please understand that we know how the cost of textbooks affects students financially. We will always do our best to keep costs down but cannot sacrifice quality.
 
@sac.edu

Thank you for your recommendation. At this point, I have to evaluate every source of book that can be utilized for my class, so that the students can have a low-cost textbook.

@columbustech.edu
 
Thank you for the information. I will peruse the website; however, I cannot make any promises.

@mcckc.edu
 
I’ll be happy to review the open textbooks.  Just send me your student ID number issued by the college.  I suspect you don’t have one, since your address is the UK.   

@sac.edu

…The GBE department at SAC has a goal of keep all text below as close to $75 as possible.  Thanks for the email.

@highline.edu

I do appreciate your concern about the rising cost of textbooks.  As a GED instructor, I don’t require my students to purchase books.  If they choose to do so, the cost is $15.00 for a 5-subject text.  I also recommend going to the bookstore before the quarter begins to purchase used books, going to half price books (you might be surprised at the selection), or even trying e-bay.
 
I wish that other instructors would consider the hardship they are placing on students with these outrageous prices.  I too have been there, done that, and tried to balance work, school, and family.
 
Good luck with your petition!

@cerritos.edu

…Eleven of the 23 books we use are from Flat World Knowledge.
   
@ksu.edu

Thanks for thinking of me.