Guest Column: What You Can Learn From Open Access
Like trade book publishing and other content industries, the $8-billion college textbook market is struggling to adapt to a new media universe. Old business models weren't designed for today's customers who want more access and control over content at lower costs.
Students routinely search the Internet for used books, textbook rentals, piracy sites and a thriving gray market of low-cost international editions, being unable or unwilling to pay $200 for a new textbook. (The College Board reports that students are spending an average of $1,137 for textbooks and supplies this academic year. For students at community colleges, the cost of textbooks and supplies as a percentage of tuition and fees is 72 percent; 26 percent for students attending a four-year public college, according to estimates by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.)
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