The independent Harvard Book Store moves its share of textbooks and other academic works. But how about U.S. textbook publishers’ sales in, say, Rome or Melbourne?
With overseas markets in mind, American textbook publishers may have one more reason to go electronic with content that local professors can customize. Harry Clarke, an Australian professor of economics, writes: “Greedy publishing houses who charge monopoly prices for overrated, poorly-written US-style textbooks that have limited resale value are creating incentives for their own destruction.” Now consider the customization issues—not just topic-related but geographical.
Gracefully localizing
To come up with one situation, just relevant would an environmental text be if full of U.S. examples with related legal observations that could be peculiar to the States? Might the legal angles be localized more gracefully through E rather than P? I’d love to know what textbook publishers are doing in this regard—and also hear their side. Are any doing core textbooks in E and organizing wikis that local professors can help fill in, maybe for pay?
Not total answer
Of course, customization alone won’t address all the challenges. While some U.S. textbooks may cost more at home than abroad, at least in developing countries, it’s obvious people such as Harry Clarke still aren’t happy with prices. The economies of E could help.
Reminder: This isn’t just an issue for large U.S. textbook publishers, but also internationally minded ones in countries such as the U.K. or Germany.
Image: CC-licensed photo from David Paul Ohmer.
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