Toronto Star textbook issues article

Students unaware prices also cover 'teaching materials,' publishers say

http://www.thestar.com/article/568630

Jan 10, 2009 04:30 AM
Kenyon Wallace
STAFF REPORTER

Textbooks are notoriously expensive.

But publishers say the high prices include much more than just the book.

Study guides, teachers' guides, CD-ROMs and online question banks – extra materials that aren't always apparent at the cash register – are factored into the price, according to the Canadian Publishers' Council.

The council represents some of Canada's largest textbook publishers, including McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Pearson Education Canada and John Wiley & Sons.

"What the student doesn't see are all the teaching materials that are produced for the instructors across Canada that are part of the textbook package. That stuff's not sitting on the shelves," said Colleen O'Neill, executive director of the council's higher education branch.

"A textbook that costs $190, I bet, has a list as long as your arm of all the materials available, both to the student and the instructor," she said.

Many textbooks, especially those that cover specialized topics, are used by far fewer students compared to those for popular subjects. With limited print runs, unit costs increase.

In addition, professors are becoming increasingly reliant on teaching materials, the cost of which is ultimately passed on to the student, O'Neill said.

University bookstores also bear some responsibility for setting prices, she said. However, a spokesperson for U of T bookstore said they do not mark up texts.

O'Neill says she understands why students are frustrated with the price of textbooks, especially when many courses don't make full use of the book. To remedy this, several U.S.-based publishers are moving to allow students to purchase only the chapters required for a course – a practice O'Neill says Canadian students could see soon.