It’s no secret that college tuition, housing, and loans are expensive, but let’s not forget the high cost of college textbooks. The price of college textbooks are ever increasing, and according to The College Board, students spend an approximate average total of $1200 per year on textbooks. This is a problem that affects all college students who, are looking to save money. With the rising cost of textbooks, I am proposing that college textbooks be made more affordable for students. One problem that textbooks aren’t cheap to make and the Textbook Spyder article “Why are Textbooks so expensive?” breaks down the costs. First there are production costs for the paper, ink and covers. Then there are publishing and marketing costs, as well as royalty earned by authors. And finally, stores have to tack on more money to make a profit. All this makes up the high cost of the textbook. Then there’s the issue of publishers …show more content…
Professors should consider carefully if a textbook will be widely used in their class and clearly present in their syllabus if a book is either recommended or required. They should also put some effort into finding and recommending to students where to buy or rent the book for less. Professors should also examine whether or not newer versions of books are necessary, and if there are only small changes they can teach that material in their lessons. Similarly, publishers should try to create new versions of textbooks less often. Colleges as a whole can decrease the amount of profits they make on textbooks or even go nonprofit. Another idea I propose is the idea of open textbooks. Open textbooks are books offered by colleges that can be accessed for free online, and are allowed to be updated by professors; this option is definitely favorable and was in fact supported in the 2014 Affordable College Textbook Act. These actions will surely benefit