Ask An Editor Why Are Textbooks So Bloody Expensive

Ask An Editor Why Are Textbooks So Bloody Expensive Ask an Editor: How are textbooks made and why are they so damn expensive? Karrin Marie Varucene is a Reedsy editor with seven years of editorial experience, including development editing, copy editing, and proofreading. She gained her editorial start in educational publishing and has since groomed her skills with creative nonfiction manuscripts and digital content marketing.I don’t think anyone ever wakes up one day and thinks, â€Å"I’d like to be an editor of college textbooks.† I certainly didn’t when I decided to pursue a career in publishing. I loved reading, I loved writing, I enjoyed the process of revision - of making something good, better. I envisioned working with famous authors on future bestsellers.It was quite by accident that I stumbled into educational publishing, but with a B.A. in English and having just returned from a year teaching English abroad in China, I found it to be a logical and worthy fit.Despite having used textbooks throughout their education, most people know very little about the textbook busine ss. So here are answers to questions I’m often asked about my work.Where does the idea for a textbook come from?Acquiring a first-edition textbook usually happens one of two ways:1) The author seeks out the publisher, often contacting the Acquisition Editor with a book proposal and sample manuscript. The proposal would, of course, include a summary of the book's content, the course for which it is intended, a list of competing textbooks, and what would make this book different from similar ones on the market (and therefore worth publishing).2) The Acquisition Editor identifies the need for a particular book for a particular course. S/he will go to educational conferences and search for well-established instructors who would be a good fit, based on professional experience, for writing that book.How do you decide what goes into textbooks?While these are certainly primary contributors to the rising cost of textbooks, I would add to this two additional factors:1) Permission to us e the additional materials included to engage students and appeal to a variety of learning styles - anything beyond the text originated by author or Development Editor - will cost the publisher or author. These costs have risen steeply over the years as publishers have to request not only print rights but also now electronic rights for e-book versions of the texts. Those who hold the rights to those materials have watched textbook prices soar and therefore want a larger share of the growing profit pie (see self-perpetuating cycle above).2) Let’s not forget a school’s bookstore, which often adds a hefty markup on top of an already significant list price to turn a profit of its own. Why are textbooks getting more expensive? An academic editor answers that question, and more! So yes, textbooks are expensive. But they also help shape a student’s future, whether teaching him to write a logical, coherent, grammatically correct essay or teaching her the fundamentals of psychology, which may lead her to pursue a career in child psychology. And knowing that I have a hand in shaping those futures? Well, that feels pretty good.What other burning questions would you like to ask an Academic Editor? Drop them in the comments box below and Karrin will do her best to answer them!

This Letter of Recommendation Got Me Into Yale!

This Letter of Recommendation Got Me Into Yale! Below is a letter of recommendation for which I am extremely grateful.   Dr. Carol Nash was my history teacher for two years in high school (including AP History), and boy could she write a letter of recommendation! What do you see works in this letter?   What would you improve?   Here it is: Dear Admissions Committee: When Brenda Bernstein tackles a question, the result is a definitive work!   Brenda was in my tenth grade Global Studies class and, on my recommendation, my eleventh year 1985-86 Advanced Placement American History-Economics class.   She ranks among my most outstanding students.   It may be premature to speak of a definitive work; nevertheless, I am certain that she will be working on the frontiers of knowledge. The students in the global Studies class were expected to find four articles on the French Revolution in different types of sources.   Brenda’s impressive search bore all the marks of an outstanding scholar.   For example, she located a particularly unusual primary source.   The result was an outstanding paper which represented a truly significant contribution to my understanding of the women’s rights movement in the French Revolution.   Brenda also most effectively communicated the information to the class during the class discussions.   For her paper on the socio-economic basis of Hitler’s rise to power, Brenda drew her material from sophisticated journals.   In the AP class, Brenda did a really exhaustive paper on Quaker anti-slavery sentiment.   The paper was full of solid information and creative and intelligent comments.   For example, she suggested that the Quaker community served as a support network for individuals who deviated from the r est of the establishment.   Brenda wrote all her papers with style and imagination, and she demonstrated complete mastery of the basic research techniques. Brenda’s insightful treatment of the material was evident on her tests.   For example, analyzing how the new American nation inherited England’s problems, she observed that the decentralization of the Articles of Confederation created many problems just as the want of decentralization had done for England before.   This link shows her ability to compare, contrast, and synthesize.   The rest of the essay demonstrated her mastery of the historical literature.   Just as she wrote integrated and creative papers, Brenda wrote an excellent document based essay drawing comfortably from the documents and her outside information.   Brenda’s analytic essays comparing historians like G. Wood and C. Kenyon were exactly on target.   When she was asked to find evidence to support historical interpretations, Brenda demonstrated her superior capacity to interpret data. Brenda is a petite young lady with an enormous mind and unusual intellectual maturity.   This is matched by her rich personality. Carol S. Nash, Ph. D.