Dear Editor,
Your recent article, “Book-rental site aims to capture bookstores’ business,” did not capture the full range of textbook options available to students and faculty.
As mentioned in the article, new innovations in publishing are giving students and instructors more choices, new ways to save and increasingly more customized materials suited to meet individual learning styles and needs. But, in addition, publishers also are expanding their lower-cost options such as custom texts, electronic books and black-and-white editions.
Today’s college students are intelligent, observant consumers, and, as the end users of textbooks, they have more market power than ever before. They should also be aware that textbook costs alone account for an average of less than 5 percent of direct higher education costs.
Publishers’ primary focus is on meeting the needs of students and faculty. Research shows that today’s textbooks and integrated learning materials are critical to helping students accomplish their educational goals. Publishers will continue to work with faculty and institutions to provide options for the learning materials students need to be successful.
Stacy Scarazzo Skelly
Assistant Director for Higher Education
Association of American Publishers