Textbooks can be really expensive. Each year, buying required reference materials become a heavy burden to the pockets especially of students with financial limitations. It is a mistake to put the blame solely on publishers' supposed greed for profits. Most of the time, those businesses do not like to raise prices but there are factors beyond their control that can never be undermined and ignored.
It is ideal to choose a textbook based on its cost. The best reference materials may be expensive, but there can be no other close alternative. So how should the selection process take place to resolve this dilemma? Price issues can be identified with the length of the material.
The length of a book
It is ideal to choose a textbook based on its cost. The best reference materials may be expensive, but there can be no other close alternative. So how should the selection process take place to resolve this dilemma? Price issues can be identified with the length of the material.
The length of a book
Total number of pages in a book should be made a consideration for textbook adoption. Students should finish reading the material by the end of the course to make the investment worth it and to learn so much from the subject. It is important to include this factor in the criteria for selecting a textbook.
Undergraduate books are usually developed to be covered and read within 14 weeks. A chapter a week is assumed to be the ideal rate students can and must take. Thus, a book has to contain just about 14 to 16 chapters to make sure it will be read entirely by learners by the end of the course.
The pricing of the book
Of course, the number of pages along with the number of colors used in printing significantly affects pricing. For instance, a book with about 640 pages and printed using up to four colors can already be quite costly for an introductory course. The lower the book page count is, the lower should be the level and price.
Big and 4-color textbooks can be expensive. If there are cheaper versions, it will be better. At the same time, it will be advantageous to choose a reference material that already has its supplements debundled to lessen the tag price. These days, books with online or e-book versions get more popular not just because of the new interface and medium but also because of the lower cost.
New editions of textbooks should never be ignored. Most publishers issue new editions to their books due to the necessary and timely changes or advancements in scholarship and knowledge in the modern, fast-paced world. But there is a need to check whether such revisions are necessary and whether there really are significant changes introduced.
Jules Mariano is a full-time freelance search engine and social media marketing specialist and a web developer specializing in web content development. He is the co-founder of VPRO Digital Marketing. He currently writes for BookGator. Need similar write up? Contact him at julesmariano(@)gmail.com.
Article Source: Jules Mariano
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