1. An Overview of the
Textbook Market and
Strategies to Reduce Costs
Nicole Allen
The Student PIRGs
nicole@studentpirgs.org • @txtbks
Textbooks and Their Stakeholders
November 1, 2012 • Northeastern University
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

2. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

3. Textbooks
cost HOW
much?
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

4. Textbook Cost Increases vs. Inflation
Textbook wholesale 600%
prices have been rising 500%
Textbooks
four times the rate of
400%
inflation for the last three Inflation
decades. 300%
200%
Source: U.S. Department 100%
of Labor Statistics 0%
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

5. Avg. student budget for books
& supplies is $1,168* per year
* Publishers and bookstores estimate actual spending is lower, but…
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

6. 7 in 10 students skip buying one
or more textbook due to cost
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

7. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

8. The average introductory
textbook costs $176
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

9. 
 

 really???


www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

10. Bundled textbooks cost 10-50%
more than the book alone
(not even counting lost buyback potential)
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

11. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

12. E-textbooks cost more on avg.
than renting print textbooks
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

13. But how can
publishers get
away with this?
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

14. $8.8 Billion Industry
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

15. 5 Players
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

16. “Broken Market”
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

17. Normal Market
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OAWeekPhilly |

18. “Broken” Textbook Market
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

19. Wish I could
exploit people
like that…
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

20. OER & OA: Similarities
• Prices have risen rapidly, resulting in consumers
losing access
• Root of the problem is a “broken” market
• Faculty are the lynchpin
• The solution lies in new publishing models

21. Solving the
Textbook Cost Crisis
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

22. It’s the 21st century! Aren’t e-
books solving this problem?
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

23. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

24. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

25. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

26. Students: Print vs. Digital
*
25%
Prefer
digital
75%
Prefer
print
* If forced to choose one or the
other. Most students would
prefer to have both.
Source: Student PIRGs
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OAWeekPhilly |

27. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

28. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

29. What about renting, isn’t
renting a solution?
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

30. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

31. Students: Rent vs. Buy
34%
Rent All
66%
Keep Some
Source: Student PIRGs
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OAWeekPhilly |

32. Cost-Saving Measures
E-Readers 39%
E-Books 52%
Rentals 61%
Used Books 25%
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

33. Students have many ways to
save, which is good…
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

34. But to solve the problem, we
need something better
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

35. Open Educational
Resources (OER)
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

36. Educational materials offered
under a license allowing the
public to freely use, adapt and
distribute the content
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

37. Definition: “Educational Resources”
• Textbooks • Tutorials
• Assessments • Video lectures
• Study guides • Graphics
• Online courses • Slides
• Lecture notes • And so on…
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

38. Definition: “Open License”
Legal permission from the copyright
owner to use the resource freely in the
following ways (known as the “4 R’s”)
• Reuse • Remix
• Revise • Redistribute
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

39. Open Educational Resources
1. Open Textbooks 3. OER Repositories
OER textbooks Mix and match
• 3,400 adoptions • CNX.org
• 1,800 institutions • MERLOT.org
• 100+ high-quality books • OERCommons.org
• Curriki.org
2. OpenCourseWare
Existing materials made open
• 250+ universities
• 17,000+ universities
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

40. OER & OA: Differences
• Educational content (interchangeable) vs. scholarly
research (unique)
• Emphasis on creating new content, rather than
open-licensing existing content
• Creating OER isn’t enough to solve the problem; it
must be promoted to get used

41. Open textbooks are the
“beachhead” for OER
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

42. Example: Open Textbook
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

43. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

44. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

45. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

46. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

47. Open Textbook Publishing
Models
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

48. Publishers (for-profit)
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

49. Read full book
free online

50. Option to buy
extra items

51. Publishers (non-profit)

52. Solves the “Broken Market”
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

53. State-Sponsored Programs

54. Faculty Editorial Boards

55. Individual Authors
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

56. Open Textbook Adoption
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

58. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

60. What You Can Do
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

61. What You Can Do
1. Support faculty to find and adopt OER (or
other low-cost/free curricular resources)
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

64. What You Can Do
1. Support faculty to find and adopt OER (or
other low-cost/free curricular resources)
2. Get involved in local OER initiatives
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

65. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

66. What You Can Do
1. Support faculty to find and adopt OER (or
other low-cost/free curricular resources)
2. Get local OER initiatives
3. Continue helping students save money
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

68. What You Can Do
1. Support faculty to find and adopt OER (or
other low-cost/free curricular resources)
2. Get involved in local OER initiatives
3. Continue helping students save money
4. Engage students as advocates
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

69. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

70. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

71. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

72. www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |

73. An Overview of the
Textbook Market and
Strategies to Reduce Costs
Nicole Allen
The Student PIRGs
nicole@studentpirgs.org • @txtbks
Textbooks and Their Stakeholders
November 1, 2012 • Northeastern University
www.MakeTextbooksAffordable.org | nicole@studentpirgs.org | @txtbks | #OpenTextbooks |