A Report on the Feasibility of Textbook Rental - IBHE

materials to bookstores at wholesale prices; bookstores then add their markup todetermine the final retail sales price.3) As stated in our previous correspondence, publishers already offer their textbooks andsupplementary course materials for sale separately, and they make available a list ofchanges between editions, both online and in the foreword of texts.4) The IBHE report does not include cost-saving recommendations for bookstores.Bookstores play a crucial role in the final price of a text, both new and used.5) Increasing the availability of used books or the length between editions can provide ashort-term solution but eventually increases the price of all texts, new and used.Publishers’ investments made to develop and publish textbooks are fixed costs, and theseinvestments must be recouped through the sale of new course materials.6) The use of supplementary materials should play a larger role in the assessment of rentalprograms. Eighty-six percent of faculty either require or recommend that students usesupplementary materials, according to Zogby International’s poll of faculty in September2006. The cost of these materials should be factored into any estimated per student rentalprogram cost.Please call on us if we can assist you in any way. We well understand the complexities ofwriting an analysis of this kind.Regards and Happy Holidays,J. Bruce HildebrandExecutive Director for Higher EducationAssociation of American PublishersAttachmentsAttachments available from IBHE on request.-71-