I mean to publish regularly in December, but I got caught up in the mad dash to get all my papers graded for all my classes. That will probably happen in May and again next December. Now that the semester is over and the holidays are just about over, I’m once again thinking ahead to the next semester.
I am simply thrilled that this semester, we do not have new editions of the textbooks I use for my classes. I know there’s a need to update information, but in the 10 years that I’ve been teaching, every 1 ½ to 2 years, we have to totally revamp our classes because the publishers come out with a new edition of the textbook. They’re sneaky. Sometimes all they’ve done is change the order of the chapters. Sometime, they make more extensive changes – this bother me less.
Everyone is in to make money. I don’t blame publishers for that, but they realized that the used book market was taking revenue away from them, and their solution is to come up out with new editions of books more frequently. Now, many of them are realizing that they need to embrace the e-book market as well.
What does that mean for students? It means less opportunity to benefit from saving money by buying used books. And as any college student knows: textbooks are very expensive. They were expensive when I was in college. I can’t imagine what my book bill would be today if I was a full time student.
Although the used book market has shrunk, student can now begin to make use of the e-book market.
Here are some benefits:
· Savings: Students can save as much as 25% or more by purchasing an e-book.
· Portability: Students can save their backs, since many books can be uploaded to the same e-reader.
· Readability: No, I’m not talking about text size – although that can be adjusted. I’m talking about lighting – they can be read in any lighting conditions.
There are some disadvantages too:
· E-books need an e-reader: There is the upfront charge of purchasing an e-reader in order to download your e-book. At least it’s a one-time charge.
· E-books need to be charged: Unlike a traditional book, an e-book must be kept charged.
· Textbook e-books have an expiration date: Many college e-books have an expiration date. The expiration often is 180 days from date of purchase. This is probably not an issue for a general education course, however, it may be for books in a student’s major.
· E-books may not match up page for page with traditional textbooks: Depending how the book is created, the pagination of the e-book may not necessarily match up. As time goes on, I’m sure instructors and students will work this out.
· Not all textbooks are out as e-books: The market is growing, but now all the textbooks are offered as e-books. The market is growing, but a student may not always be able to get all books as e-books.
Even so, the disadvantages may not matter when it comes to the money a student can save by going the e-book route.
Here are some e-book sellers:
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