Used Textbook Association

New Edition Case Study 1

Here's a classic example of an unnecessary new edition.

Title: UA Fundamentals: Adjusting to Life at a Major University
Edition: 2nd

• The only change between the two versions of the textbooks appears to be three photographs on the cover of the textbook.
• The publisher even neglected to update the preface in the 2007 edition that notes the changes in each edition; the preface of the textbook references changes made two editions prior to the release of the current version.
• Due to the release of the new edition, students couldn’t sell back 2nd edition textbooks and didn’t have the ability to recoup any of their money for the original textbook.
• In addition, students taking the course during the following term had to purchase all new textbooks.

By simply changing the photographs on the cover and labeling the textbook with a new ISBN number, the publisher impacted thousands of students and the amount each student paid for the textbook.

New Edition Case Study 2

Title: Financial Accounting
Edition: 12th

ISBN: 0-324-38198-0
Copyright: 2007, 2006
Publisher: Thomson South-Western

In this example, the publisher has taken great care to outline the changes from the 11th to the 12th edition of the textbook.

• By turning to page v of the preface, the professor can easily review the changes.
• This empowers the professor to make an educated decision about the benefit of switching from the 11th edition to the 12th.

If a faculty member switches to the newer edition, there still is a financial impact to the student; however, if the switch in textbooks enhanced the faculty members’ ability to teach and increases the benefit the student receives from the course, the financial impact can be justified.

New Edition Case Study 3

Here’s another example of the lengths publishers will go to justify new edition churn to students. The memo page is actually bound into the book, along with a syllabus, instructions on how to take tests and an acknowledgement form for the student to tear out and sign.

The bottom line: A $75 used book that can be sold back for $50 (assuming it’s re-adopted) is far better than the $65 this book sells for with a buy-back value of zero.

UTA Solution: Limit Unnecessary New Editions

Every time a new edition is produced, the student’s buy-back price drops to zero - and they lose 100 percent of their investment.

What’s more, a Harris Interactive study reports that 89 percent of professors believe newer editions contain only minor changes from previous editions. If a new edition is announced, it’s critical for professors to review changes to ensure that only reasonable new editions get adopted.