Northwest College textbook prices generally coincide with a national report that found “college textbook prices have risen at twice the rate of annual inflation over the last two decades.” The report, compiled by the Government Accountability Office in July of 2005, also found that the rise in textbook prices is consistent with the increasing cost of college tuition. Textbook prices from December 1986 to December 2004 increased 186 percent.
“Books should be more affordable,” said Debbie Goutsch, a pre-nursing student at NWC, who expects to spend $800 per semester once she enters the nursing program. Goutsch continued, “Textbooks are like a necessary evil. If you want the degree that’s what you have to do.”
The NWC bookstore matches the GAO report’s findings for the markup of textbooks, according to Kim Marman, director of the NWC bookstore. Marman said the NWC bookstore’s markup is 22 to 24 percent on new textbooks. The GAO report found the nationwide average markup on new textbooks to be 23 percent.
As a result of the increasing prices of textbooks, the National Association of College Stores reported that Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Oklahoma, Virginia and Washington are currently considering legislation to help lessen the financial burden of textbooks on students. The GAO report estimates that full-time students at two-year colleges “spend 72 percent of the cost of tuition and fees on books and supplies.”
According to the NACS, the legislation being considered includes book rental programs, removing sales tax from textbooks, forcing textbook publishers to include the price of textbooks with the sample copies that professors receive and forcing book publishers to offer textbooks bundled with extras, such as workbooks and compact discs, to also be offered without these extras for those students who wish to only buy the textbook.
Marman, said she supports most to the purposed legislation, but is skeptical about the idea of book rental. “I’m anxious to see how it works for these schools where they’re being forced to do that,” said Marman, “If other bookstores are able to do it successfully, I would like offer that option to students.”
Marman added that to make a rental program work, professors would have to commit to a textbook for at least three years, because it would take that long for the bookstore to recoup the expenses associated with a rental program.
“I like the idea of book rental. I already pay an arm and a leg for tuition,” said Stacie Wells, an agriculture business major at NWC.
The GAO report said that one reason for the hike in textbook prices is the addition of supplemental materials, such as workbooks, CDs and Web sites, which are bundled with textbooks. “It’s a nightmare for bookstores,” said Marman.
She explained that when it comes time for book buy-back and the reselling of used books it is often necessary to reorder these supplemental materials. She explained in some cases that’s not possible and in others these materials cost so much that it negates the value for students purchasing used books.
“It’s largely a waste of money,” said NWC Professor Wally Wolfe of the supplemental materials that come with the textbooks he uses. Wolfe uses an economy version of a textbook for one of his classes. He said he chose this book because it contains almost the same content and is in some cases better written than the textbook he previously used.
Wolfe explained economy textbook is printed entirely in black and white with no color photos or graphs and does not include any of the extras typically associated with standard textbooks.
The textbook he formerly used for the class cost $125 while the economy version he now uses costs $33. While Wolfe said he looks at content over cost, he added he has recently made affordability a “bigger deal.”
Wolfe’s outlook on affordability is shared by fellow NWC Professor Charlotte Patrick. “It’s a consideration,” said Patrick. “It’s usually not my first consideration.”
Patrick said she assembled her own course materials for her communication for nurses class, rather than have her students purchase three or four books they wouldn’t use. She did this because no one textbook covered all the material she deals with in the class.
When it comes to students saving money on the cost of textbooks, Patrick said that several of her students either borrow or share their textbooks. The sharing of textbooks is something that Marman has seen at the bookstore. She cited several instances where students pool their money to buy textbooks to be shared for the semester.
In addition to sharing textbooks library director Suzan Richards said that a handful of instructors keep copies of textbooks on hand in the library for students to use. Though Richards would like to have more copies of more textbooks on hand, she said cost and space would be prohibitive to have a copy of every textbook on hand, especially in light of the constantly changing editions of textbooks. Richards added that when she gets a textbook from an instructor she is “happy to put it on reserve.”
The GAO report cited the constant changing of editions as a main reason for the increase in textbook prices and for decline of the used textbook market. This is something NWC Professor Deborah Spangler Koelling has noticed as well. “There are too many new editions,” said Koelling. “(Publishers) do it to make more money.”
According to the GAO report, “Publishers agreed that the revision cycle for many books has accelerated over time.” The publishers cited demand from college instructors for this increase. While in some disciplines this may be true, the GAO report found that “over 700 mathematics and physics instructors from 150 universities across the country have petitioned one publisher to delay revisions until there have been substantial changes in content or teaching methods that merit revision.”
“They make little changes so you about have to buy the new edition,” said Patrick whom uses one textbook that changes editions mid academic year. She noted that in years new editions are released she does not use the new edition the second semester.
“(Publishers) want to rip us off as much as possible,” said Wells about the high prices of textbooks.
Marman said she is constantly looking for the best deals when she buys textbooks. She added, “I complain about the high prices as much as the students.”

Northwest College nursing student Cole Asay searches for a last-minute book at the campus bookstore.

— Photograph by Anthony McConnell

Based on a report by the Government Accountability Office, the graph indicates the average growth yearly in the cost of textbooks and tuition in the United States.

— Infographic by Kara Bacon and Anthony McConnell