Group 7 Post 1

Why is the cost of textbooks so high? Some students are wondering why are the cost of textbooks so high? The high prices of college textbooks have become an increasing problem and frustration for many students. Students spend an average of over $500 or more on books and school supplies. If you take basic math for one semester the book and access kit that are needed costs roughly 260 Dollars. Other books such as: Business Data Communications & Networking costs 120 Dollars. Consumer Behavior costs 186 Dollars. This brings the grand total of these books to be around 570 Dollars.

In a recent interview by Carmanita Monroe, a junior at the University of Alabama said “I believe that textbooks are extremely expensive. I think it should be included in tuition and not be a separate cost, also buyback should be based on the condition of the return and should be a percentage of what you paid for it and the release of new edition should be regulated and based upon significant changes to that particular field.” David, a sophomore, at The University of Alabama stated he should be able to rent books for the entire four years and some professors should inform you whether you are going to use the books or not. According to Chris Livingston, a book store owner he said, “One issue that’s affecting book prices are shorter prints runs and shorter editions due to used books. Publishers can only make money off of the textbooks one time, whereas used books can be sold many times. Publishers are trying to market their books and products to professors, so this is one way publishers can make their money. According to the government accountability office, college textbooks prices rose at twice the rate of annual inflation over the last two decades. If students want to help lower the cost of textbooks, The University, as a whole, has to rally together and talk to publishers about the high and increasing amount of textbook prices.