So What Do You Think about the Cost of Textbooks?
So What Do You Think about the Cost of Textbooks? Save Email Print
Posted: 8:53 AM Oct 3, 2008
 Last Updated: 8:53 AM Oct 3, 2008
 Reporter: Associated Press
Email Address: news@wsaz.com
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - West Virginia higher education officials want to know what college students think about the rising cost of textbooks.

The Higher Education Policy Commission plans to hold a public hearing on textbook costs Oct. 10 at West Virginia State University in Institute.

Chancellor Brian Nolan says a task force formed by the commission is studying textbook costs. The task force plans to issue a report by January.

Task force co-chairman Nelson Robinson says state law requires colleges and universities to adopt policies aimed at keeping costs down at school bookstores. But Robinson says he believes many institutions are using the bookstores as revenue producers.
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Posted by: Aaron on Oct 6, 2008 at 03:55 PM
To Jason: Again, the MU bookstore does not charge a huge markup; it is only about 35%-36%. That is very small and the store really only covers cost. On a $100 book the bookstore would sell it for $135, or the cost of an employee working less than 5 hours. If you want a big markup look at some of the appliances and entertainment appliances. Sometimes the markup on these is as high as 700%.
Posted by: Kim on Oct 6, 2008 at 02:54 PM
I personally feel that with the cost of a college education...that books should be supplied to each student. It should be included with the tuition.
Posted by: Greg on Oct 6, 2008 at 01:40 PM
I don't understand why more students just don't order their books online and find them selfs the cheapest prices out there? Like seriously, there are search engines dedicated for finding cheap used, new,international editions, and you can even find books to rent! One of the better search engines out there is Bigwords.com. If you haven't seen that site you should really check it out!
Posted by: Jimmy on Oct 6, 2008 at 11:54 AM
The problem is not the price of the books but the PROFESSORS who do not use them. Nobody minds paying for something that does what it is supposed to do. Most students don't like paying $150 for a book but if the PROFESSOR uses it in class and tests from the book they are fine with it. The problem lies when a PROFESSOR requires a book for $60 and then never opens or uses the book. Then the PROFESSOR not the bookstore has cheated the student. PROFESSORS will almost always require a book becuase it is their safety net if the administration asks them why students are struggling. Nobody minds paying for what they use, but they get very upset when they pay for something that is useless. Students need to stand up and tell PROFESSORS that if you are going to make me buy this book then you sure as hell are gonna use it.
Posted by: MELINDA on Oct 6, 2008 at 11:19 AM
The school is like our GOVERNMENT the will charge you expensive prices for the books and the cheaper ones are used, or if you find them somewhere else they will not let you use them, which it shouldn't matter its your money, you should decide where to spend it. When they pay for the books and the schooling then they can tell you what to use but until that happens it should be up to the person spending their money of where they can afford it. This country is getting more like communism everyday.
Posted by: Jason on Oct 6, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Marshall University's bookstore rips students off every semester. They sell books at a huge mark up and then buy them back for a small percentage of their original price. They then turn around a sell the used book at another huge mark up. Students are forced to buy these books to pass classes and complete assignments. Students should use internet resources to find cheap books or post used books on campus so others can buy them directly from students. Many teachers require an updated version of textbooks that has little difference from the former edition. If our lawmakers value education they should do something to make these educational tools available at reasonable prices. There are students who can't afford books and therefore fail classes.
Posted by: EKY on Oct 6, 2008 at 10:24 AM
Solution: Go online and browse used textbooks. You'll be surprised at how much money you can save by searching for a few minutes for the best prices.
Posted by: Aaron on Oct 5, 2008 at 11:01 PM
To continue my earlier comments I need to add that bookstores make a lower % profit on new texts than McDonald's does on Big Macs. Take the price of the new book and multiply it by 74% and you will see what it roughly costs the bookstore - the price is always rounded to the nearest quarter, not always up. The bookstores only make money on used books; they barely cover cost on new books when shipping and labor are included. Also, some profs will use a special "custom" edition for their class, which means that all students must buy new editions of that text and the prof is usually an author or co-author so they get a nice royalty out of it.
Posted by: Aaron on Oct 5, 2008 at 10:55 PM
First let me say that gov't regulation is almost never the answer to anything. Second, I used to work in a college bookstore and I would call in orders and unpack shipments. The publishers do discount the textbooks to the bookstores, but the bookstore markup is only a 35% profit margin on a new book. Most publishers sell textbooks to college bookstores at more than half the price they would a school system even after the standard discount (25-50%). Some publishers do not discount or only discount some texts. As far as buyback is concerned the price is based on the need for the book at that particular bookstore. If professors turn in book orders late or the class is not being taught the next sem. the sellback is national market value. Everyone needs to try and sell books back the first couple of days of finals week to get the max buyback unless the prof hasn't turned in the order, which is a common occurance. Most companies set a policy of 75% of new price for the price of used.
Posted by: Mom of MU student on Oct 5, 2008 at 09:25 PM
I think it is terrible, my daughter bought a USED paperback book, that was $60.00. These prices are terrible! No wonder most people can't afford a college education!!!!
Posted by: JC on Oct 4, 2008 at 08:48 PM
My husband and I both are going to MU part-time and our books still cost $1,000 (one Bachelor and one Graduate). And, to sell them back, I got $35 out of $210. It is just another way of making tons of money - it should be regulated as well. You are right about education being unaffordable. I wasn't able to even go to college until I had a child because they claimed that since I didn't make much money, someone had to claim me on their taxes (like parents)and they did not. Again, it seems like there is help for the poor, incentives for the rich, but those just surviving that make too much to get assistance and too little to be able to afford anything, end up suffering.
Posted by: Mark on Oct 4, 2008 at 04:29 PM
A friend, who is now an attorney in Ashland, did his undergrad work at Marshall. Four years and from what I've been told he never bought a single book. He either borrowed or worked from the books in the library. Not exactly the way I would want to go, but hey, it worked for him.
Posted by: Mark on Oct 4, 2008 at 04:26 PM
Neither my wife nor I have not paid full price for a textbook for quite some time. Look online!!! Find the same book/same author/maybe an earlier edition for less than $10 instead of the current edition, new for $100 . I've let the college bookstore know that what I'm doing, but they say they can't do anything about the high cost of books. Their loss!!!
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 4, 2008 at 11:29 AM
i have 14 hours this semester and paid almost 500 for my books and there are some that have not even been opened! we buy these books and then half of the time never even touch them, ridiculous! they should put the textbooks online and then every student just has a lap top... by the time its over and done with, a lap top costs much much less...
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 3, 2008 at 08:15 PM
and they wonder why people don't further there education. maybe because it is unaffordable. so many of us are not able to get any financial help and can't afford to pay out of pocket so we are forced to take low paying jobs to support ourselves.
Posted by: Student on Oct 3, 2008 at 06:25 PM
I think that textbooks are to expensive..we dont even use half of them.. I carry 15 Credit Hours and I paid over 450 for my 5 books..come on... how much do they really cost the bookstores!!!
Posted by: Vera on Oct 3, 2008 at 03:54 PM
I feel that college textbooks are extremely high. By the time a student gets their Pell Grant and tuition is paid, there is barely enough, if that, to pay for their books. Maybe if the colleges would use a later edition of the book, then the books would be a bit cheaper. I also feel if they would use them for more than one year that it would help students, that way they can buy them from the bookstore used. With the price of gasoline being what it is, college students need every dime that they can get, especially those attending community colleges where there are no dorms for students to live in. I also feel that dorms should be built at community colleges. I know in Williamson, we have students who drive very long distances to school every day. Students could probably afford to live in a dorm before they could afford to pay for gasoline.
Posted by: Jack on Oct 3, 2008 at 03:26 PM
The real questions that higher ed should be asking are: #1 - "Why do we have physical textbooks at all?" Most entrants into colleges today don't bother with reading dead trees anymore. Why not totally digitize the process and drive the cost of textbooks down toward zero and give students a media more familiar to them? #2 - "Why do we continue to build bricks and mortar colleges?" Distance learning tools and the proliferation of broadband will allow students to take classes from anywhere in the world. This would remove much of the delivery cost of an education and allow for a more affordable degree for everyone.
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 3, 2008 at 12:20 PM
As the mother of a college student, it amazes me at the prices on college textbooks. Even if it's a used one the prices are ridiculous. You can count on spending about $400 or more for books each semester. Then selling them back at the end of the semester will not get you much in return
Posted by: Pablo on Oct 3, 2008 at 11:57 AM
Sure some of the college students pay for their books, but for most, mom and dad do. So, why not ask us in addition to the college students about the high price of textbooks?
Posted by: Brenda on Oct 3, 2008 at 11:40 AM
My daughter is an education/math major, not a science major, yet her books were just over $600. She attends WVSU and bought her books from the campus book store where she requested used books but nearly all were new. Considering her major, I think $600 in books is outrageous.
Posted by: College Student on Oct 3, 2008 at 11:00 AM
I think the books are absolutely to high in cost. I think a lot more people would go for higher education if the books used were provided as they ar when you are in high school. Tuition is too high too but heah they have to make a buck somewhere!
Posted by: Cate on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:54 AM
The fact that my text books have cost me OVER $1000 for the past 3 semesters is disgusting. Tuition is already too high, text book prices are down right obscene.
Posted by: Ashley on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:45 AM
I am a recent college graduate and I think the cost of textbooks is outrageous. On top of that, they are constantly coming out with new editions of the books...changing just enough so you can't get by with the older edition. Also this means if you try to sell your textbooks after your class is over, they are almost worthless because they've moved onto a new edition. Selling back to the school's bookstore is a rip off anyways because they will give you $15 for a book and turn around and sell it again for $75. I think a lot of college students are being driven to buying and selling books online because the school bookstores are just unreasonable.
Posted by: charles carroll on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:43 AM
Some of the kids that used to rent from me would get together with others in the same course's and buy one book take it apart and coppy all the pages and reassenble them into note books sometime assemling over 30 copys and then spliting up the cost on the one book . Instructors or professors chose not to see this , they know how hard it is to come up with all it takes to attent colledge .It will be a new ball game with our failed economy now , enrollment may plumit . So maybe states can get away from the commercialism and squeezing every last dime out of parents and students go back to educational imperatives .They better or colleges mite be deserted in the near future .West Virgina and other states have a racket with tuition and textbook costs , the answer is colledge online . No books , very few instructors or professors and no physical plant to build or maintain no "activity fees", mandiory dorm residence or smug people in the bursars office just waiting to put the red tape up .
Posted by: TRYING TO MAKE IT on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:33 AM
THE COST OF BOOKS ARE TERRIBLE, IT IS HARD TO MAKE IT, YOU HAVE TO PAY FOR CLASSES, ROOM, FOOD AND VERY HIGH BOOKS NO WONDER PEOPLE DO NOT GO TO COLLEGE, THE BOOKS NEED TO BE LOWER, PROFESSORS NEED TO ACTUALLY TEACH NOT TELL YOU THE PAGES, & YOU DO ALL THE LEARNING YOURSELF THAT IS WHAT WE PAY THEM FOR, THE WHOLE COLLEGE THING NEEDS LOOKED INTO, PROFESSORS REALLY SOME DO A GREAT JOB, SOME ARE JUST THERE, AND THEY CHANGE BOOKS EVERY YEAR SO YOU CAN NOT BORROW BOOKS OR EVEN SALE BACK WHICH IS A JOKE YOU GET MAYBE A 1/3 OF WHAT YOU PAID, TRYING TO MAKE IT AS A STUDENT
Posted by: robie on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:23 AM
Textbook costs are HIGH but my daughter that just graduated from college managed to get textbooks from the library and thus reduced her costs quite a bit. She bought books that she needed for her major and new she would need after graduation. There is an interlibrary loan system that students can use.
Posted by: MU Student on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:19 AM
They are insane! I spent over $500 dollars this year purchasing my books. That was even with some texts being used! Professors are routinely put under pressure to upgrade to new editions and then the price gets pushed on to us students. Because of this, I refuse to shop at the MU Bookstore and instead purchase my books online or at worst Stadium Bookstore. I have had several professors who buck the trend and actually dont use a text and rather privately publish their lecture notes with blanks left out (to require attendance and attention) and sell them at the book store for a meager $10 (probably cost that much for production)! Kudos to Prof Harlan Smith of the Economic dept for using this method to teach Macro.
Posted by: Anonymous on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:17 AM
TEXT BOOKS SHOULDNT BE MORE THAN $20-30 DOLLARS A PEIECE...ITS HARD ENOUGH TO GET YOUR TUTION PAID....
Posted by: Concerned on Oct 3, 2008 at 10:00 AM
There is definitely something wrong when you buy a book for $100 dollars and can only sell it back for $10. Then they turn around and sell it to someone else for $100 the next semester.
Posted by: Marshall Nursing Student on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:59 AM
Textbook costs are ridiculous. I spent over $1000 this year on books! Most people are going online. Marshall found a way around that. They sell 'packages' that you can only get at Marshall. They add something they say you 'need' then you never use it.
Posted by: KIM_COVERDALE on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:47 AM
I GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE, DEC. 2004. WHAT I PAID FOR BOOKS WAS OUTRAGES THEN. I HAVE AN IDEA THAT THEY ARE HIGHER. WHEN IT COMES TIME TO RESALE THE BOOKS, YOU EITHER GET A FEW DOLLARS BACK OR YOU FIND OUT THAT THE SCHOOL IS NOT GOING TO USE THE BOOKS IN THE NEXT SEMESTER. TEXT BOOKS ARE TOO HIGH AND SOMETIMES THE PROFS DO NOT EVEN USE THEM WHEN TEACHING THEIR CLASSES. THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE. I TOOK OUT STUDENT LOANS FOR THAT STUFF AND I FEEL THAT THE BOOKS SHOULD BE INCLUDED WITH THE TUITION. ALL MATERIALS NEEDED SHOULD COME WITH THE TUITION. I SPENT OVER $700 OVER FOR EXTRA SUPPLIES ON AN ART CLASS I TOOK. OVERALL THERE NEEDS TO BE A REMEDY TO THIS AND THE COLLEGES SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO OVER THE PRICE OF BOOKS AND MATERIAL. P.S. AFTER SPENDING ALL OF THAT MONEY FOR AN EDUCATION, I HAVE FOUND OUT THAT MY DIPLOMA IS ABOUT AS WORTHLESS AS MONOPOLY MONEY. ????????
Posted by: booger on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:44 AM
In my college days, you buy a brand new textbook for $150. Then, if they use that same book again next year, they buy it back for $20, if not, you're stuck with a $150 biology book that you'll never use agian. Kinda a ripoff, huh?
Posted by: anon-1 on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:42 AM
Textbooks can be much cheaper online. I saved a total of about $200 by purchasing online. There was a book at Marshall for about $188. I purchased it online for $118. Also if you search eBay, you may be able to get used books at half the price.
Posted by: natalie on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:42 AM
What does it matter? College students can voice their opinion, but when it comes down to it, those in charge will still do what they please. This is a way to smooth over the cost increase. I guess they will blame this on gas going up as well.
Posted by: Beth on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:41 AM
I think they're using it to make money for sure! I am taking 2 classes this semester at State and paid $360 for 2 books!! It's insane!
Posted by: Danielle on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:06 AM
When one of my textbooks is $600..that's outrageous. Of course schools are using them for revenue producers, especially Tech. Financial aid takes forever to come in so they hope you go to the bookstore and pay out of your own pocket. I had the best scholarship the school itself gave, the Promise scholarship from the state, and a couple others and I still had to consistently wait 2 weeks to get my books, missing assignments in the meantime. While the bookstore jacks the prices up 5 times what you can find the books for on the Internet..way to go!!
Posted by: John on Oct 3, 2008 at 09:02 AM
The cost of these textbooks are insane! For each class you will pay anywhere from 100 (thoughtful teachers) to 400! By the time you get them all, you are paying another tuition just in books. If the schools were concerned about this, they could say everyone must use the same book for at least two years...then there would be plenty of used books filtering around. But they are making too much money from their bookstore by selling so many new books and very very few used ones. They are not worried about their students, they are worried about money!
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