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A. Textbook Quantities - how much does the bookstore order?

• 1. I always request more than enough books for my classes but sometimes the bookstore runs out - how can this happen?The truth is we have to edit the quantities requested on your requisitions. From the estimated enrollment you provide, we look at a number of factors to determine how many books we will probably be able to sell, including:
  • • past sales history for a given title
  • • enrollment history for a particular course and instructor
  • • enrollment projections from the college• length of time a title has been used on this campus (the longer a book has been used,the fewer copies we sell, generally) No matter how carefully we make our decisions there are always some titles we sell out of. If that happens, we rush reorder books via 2nd day air or 3rd day air (depending on the publisher) to minimize the waiting period for students missing books. Please notify us if there is some reason that would increase demand for the book - i.e. the class has been heavily advertised forthe first time, or it’s become a required prerequisite for another popular class, the book is beingused differently in the course, etc.
• 2. Checking enrollments makes sense, but don’t you order one book for each student in the class? No, textbook sales and enrollment are hardly ever a one-to-one correlation, for several reasons.To list just a few:
  • • Competition! Between online retailers such as Amazon.com or Half.com, auction sites,and students selling to students, we are not the only source for books students.
  • • Students are “savvy” shoppers these days - they wait to see if the bookmarked “Required” on the tag is really going to be necessary to pass the class. If they don’t need it, they won’t buy it.
  • • Students arrange to purchase and share texts in groups, and then study together.
• 3. I thought it didn’t matter if books were over-ordered, because the bookstore canreturn all the extras - right? Not necessarily. We often can’t return used books. Even for new textbooks, most publishers penalize bookstores for returns over 15-20% of the total orders. Many smaller publishers allow only very limited returns or no returns at all. Federal and State publications, Graphics coursepacks, and similar items are all completely non-returnable.
• 4. I always use the same books, so it shouldn’t matter if you have a lot left over fromterm to term. It’s true that books don’t “spoil” if left on the shelf, but they do get worn and scuffed, possibly becoming damaged enough to be unsaleable. It costs us to keep lots of unsold inventory, and we have limited storage space. Since editions change so frequently, we can’t afford to bank onthe "always" requisition and keep several quarters’ worth of a textbook on hand.

B. Textbook Prices & the necessity of used books Why do textbooks cost so much, anyway? Several factors have contributed to the sharp rise in costs over the past several years:

• • Production and development costs, especially the costs associated with online contentand technology, have risen dramatically. The growing used book market has meant a decreasing market share for publishers.
• •• Buyouts and mergers have decreased competition and increased costs.

• 1. Price increases come strictly from publishers. We recognize that textbooks are an increasing financial burden for students, so we try to reduce the overall cost to students by providing asmany used books as possible, by buying them back from students during and working with publishers to find ways to reduce costs with bundles/custom books where appropriate.
• 2. What does the bookstore actually make on textbooks? Our target gross margin on new textbooks is 25%. Margin is the difference between a book's selling price and the store’s cost from the publisher; for example, for a $100 textbook, we pay $75 to the publisher. But we have other costs beyond our bills from publishers. From that $25 “profit” $3- $4 goes for incoming freight, and $17-$18 to pay general overhead costs suchas rent or depreciation and utilities, labor costs for store personnel to do the ordering, receiving,shelving of books, cashiers, customer service, and freight/handling charges to return extratextbooks back to the publisher. Only the remaining $3-$5 is net store income - and much ofthat goes back to the university.
• 3. Why are used books important? Used books save students 25% compared to new prices.In today’s world of soaring educational costs and falling levels of aid, students literally demandthe savings of used books. They are usually willing to put up with texts that are in less thanpristine condition if it will stretch their textbook budget that much further. However, we do ourbest to get the best quality of used books and we even sometimes get used books that look NEW!
• 4. But surely the bookstore sells only new copies of lab books, study guides, etc.? Not necessarily. If we know that a particular course doesn’t actually require the fill-in portion of aworkbook/lab manual, or if we think we can get clean (defined as less than 10 pages marked) copies we will still try to provide at least some used copies to save students money. However, if an instructor or department specifically requests on the requisition forms that we carry only new copies we will honor that request.
• 5. What about custom books or packages, don’t they save students more money thanused books? It depends! For packages, is the supplement something students actually would use, if it were sold separately? Is it likely to slow down production and shipping considerably?Are their copyright clearance issues? Will using this package decrease the amount studentscan get for their book at buyback? There are many issues to consider in any package, and youshould always let the bookstore know if you’re thinking of adopting a package or custom book.
• 6. What else can I do as an instructor to keep textbook costs reasonable for my students?
  • • Communicate clearly with your publishers' reps! Let reps know that student bookprice is a crucial adoption factor. Push for less expensive alternatives like paperbackor “essential” versions without as many fancy features. Tell the reps if you think texts inyour field don't need to be updated every two years. Be specific about how these issues affect your adoption decision.
  • • The earlier you turn your requisition in the more likely we are to be able to stockused copies.
  • • If your department has a lot of instructors/sections added at the beginning of the quarter, try to choose a text for them and get it ordered. Students will be thankful forthe common text in a multi-section class. This also allows us to buy used booksCreate a reader. Sometimes readers make the most sense. Requiring students topurchase two or three texts when you plan to use limited portions of those books putsunnecessary financial strain on students. Our department provides custom publishingservices and they get printed right here on campus at the Campus Copy Center. Weassure copyright compliance.
  • • MOST IMPORTANTLY: USE the textbooks you ask students to buy! Students aremore likely to see the value in a text they use in class. So many students come back tous during buyback frustrated because they either didn’t need the book at all or only oneor two chapters were used.