| Since I began teaching, textbooks have moved from a 3 year cycle for an edition to a 2 year cycle. My discipline does have frequent content changes in some topic areas, so I think that is part of this trend. However, as more and more books compete based on their online content with supplements, access to Excel templates, homework manager programs, etc., the publishers look to recover their high fixed costs for these "add ons" through the price of the textbook. The charges they make for access to automated homework programs are more reasonable - from $15 to $28 per semester.
Also, competition has been reduced over the last 20 years as the dominant publishers have acquired some of the smaller ones. I heavily utilize the texts I adopt and students are expected to bring them to class for each meeting. However, in some disciplines, e-books are becoming more widely available and are practical for disciplines where the text is primarily used for reading such as history, political science, etc.
I agree with the original post. It is a serious problem, particularly for students at a community college where the price of textbooks can approach 40% or so of tuition. |