Last week, I had a co-op interview for a company in the publishing industry. While the experience was quiet ordinary, I struck up a very interesting conversation with my interviewer, and I am curious about what anyone here thinks. Once again, this is open to anyone, since I myself have not yet decided how I feel on the subject.
Aptara, the company I interviewed with, is a small 'publishing' house in Boston. It does mostly textbooks for all levels of education. While this is not a publishing house in itself, it is a company that other publishers outsource to.
Toward the end of my interview, I asked how the economy was affecting the publishing industry, and, in particular, this company. I was extremely surprised when the project managers told me they had been busier than ever and were doing extremely well. They then proceeded to tell me why....
Basically, both publishers and writers are supporting each other in the 'scam' of the century: they are printing new editions every year and attempting to print them bi-yearly. By doing this, they are constantly making new profits, since students cannot buy used textbooks.
Ultimately, the students blame the bookstores for now carrying 'used' editions, when the bookstores can only order what is in demand. As a student and someone who wants the publishing industry to succeed, how do you feel about all of this?
It’s a Beeping Problem
2 months ago
This is a real issue. Even if a professor wants to keep to a single edition over time, the edition goes out of print. Sometimes this is needed, of course, if there are important substantial changes in a field or in the kinds of pedagogy a book represents. But often it's just tinkering at the margins.
ReplyDeleteA close equivalent may be with patent protection of prescription drugs. Sometimes a new patent is sought for a very minor change, and then the new drug is marketed aggressively just before the patent on the old one runs out (and it can be produced as a cheap generic).