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.

The Effect of Media Violence On Youths Research Proposal

The Effect of Media Violence On Youths - Research Proposal Example In the year 1998, one of the faculty members of Simon Fraser University carried out a study on the teens that were interested in watching violent media. (Bryant, pp. 23-25) The results of that study showed that such media made twenty-five percent of teens addicted to it. In addition, all those teens showed great changes in their behavior, which was not in a positive manner. Furthermore, a number of studies have shown that worse academic results are shown by the youth that watch violent media according to the National Institute on Media and Family. (Gentile, pp. 39-41) It is indicated by the researches that violent media is preferred by more than seventy-five percent of teens in the United States that are interested in watching television and other available mediums. One of the schools in Texas carried out a study of adolescents that watch violent media, and it found out that teachers complained of frequent arguments from such students. In some cases, these adolescents were even involved in physical fights with their teachers and classmates that is a major concern of the schools, as well as, the parents. In specific, studies have shown that gender does not play a major role in the behavioral changes after watching violent media, which is another major topic related to the effects of violent media on youth that is not discussed in this paper. In another study, it was observed that eighty percent of adolescent girls that were involved in watching violent media argued with their teachers and classmates, as compared with the eighty-three percent of boys in the same category. Thus, it shows that gender does not play any role in such case. (Krug, pp. 45-46) The advent of violent media has prompted the researchers to go into the details of this medium of entertainment. In popular media, the topic of violence is quite controversial, as different people have provided different interpretations regarding

Restorative community programs Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Restorative community programs - Research Paper Example In the analysis of these issues, restorative justice requires that several questions are addressed. For instance, questions concerning which laws are broken, who is the offender, which punishment to be applied and what harms arise out of the crime are such fundamental concerns that should always be addressed in the program. Restorative programs have become important segments of the societal form of living. This is necessitated by the fact that crime needs to be addressed from its deepest roots other than simply curbing its prevalence (Braithwaite 2002). Societies organize programs where the offenders are made aware of the negativities of their characters and proper ways are sought in order to rehabilitate any willing minds. Restorative justice works well in relation to such other contemporary methods like community policing, community prosecution and crime prevention. The fundamental fact in this respect is that offenders must always take responsibility of their actions while the community seeks to assist in the overall accountability of the society. Restorative programs work well in societies where communities have not been involved much in the justice process. In that case, participation is normally enhanced in a way that the community understands itself and takes charge of its fundamental

My Antonia Essay: Contrasts between the Hired Girls and the Black Hawk

Contrasts between the "Hired Girls" and the Black Hawk Women in My Antonia  Ã‚  Ã‚   Willa Cather draws a stark contrast between the respectable women of Black Hawk and the â€Å"hired girls† in books II and III of My Antonia through Jim’s unavoidable attachment to them.   The â€Å"hired girls† are all immigrants who work in Black Hawk as servants to help support their families in the country.   They are hardworking and charming.   They are simple and complicated.   They are sad and joyful.   They work all day and dance all night.   For Jim they are the most interesting people who   reside in Black Hawk.   The respectable women are boring and predictable.   They all go to bed at the same time every night and get up at the same time every morning.   Their whole lives consist of a series of daily routines. Most of the men in Black Hawk find the â€Å"hired girls† irresistible.   They may even flirt with all or one of them for a while, but inevitably when they are ready to settle down, they choose a respectable woman to marry.   After having an intellectual awakening at college and reuniting with Lena Lingard, one of the â€Å"hired girls,† Jim discovers that â€Å"if there were no girls like them in the world, there would be no poetry† (Cather 173).   At this point he realizes why he preferred the company of Tiny, Lena, and Antonia to that of even the most well refined girl in Black Hawk.   These girls embodied life, wilderness, adventure, and goodness.   To Jim, they represent all that is beautiful and romantic about life on the prairie in a way that no well-respected Black Hawk woman can. The â€Å"hired girls† had lived trying lives.   They had grown up in the hardest times of their families.   Because they worked to support the family, most had not received any ty... ...ares about Jim so much that she will not allow him to be held down by herself or anybody else, even a dear friend like Lena Lingard. The hired girls are important characters in My Antonia both as a connection to the country and contrast against the respectable women in Black Hawk; and as comparison figures for the most important hired girl, Antonia.   Their success is ironic because of their meek beginnings, and says something about the value of poverty.   Through them, the reader is shown the value of overcoming obstacles with hard work.   The vivid descriptions of them, as well as Jim’s attraction to them really make them objects of poetry to read about.   They ultimately show a lot about Antonia in their similarities and dissimilarities to her.       Works Cited Cather, Willa.   My Antonia.   1918.   Foreword Kathleen Norris.   Boston: Houghton, 1995.   

Health care Essay

1a. What model of healthcare does the US and your chosen country have (Japan)? Be very specific. The United States has a healthcare system that is different from almost every country in the world. I would call the United States health care system a hybrid type system. I would call our system a hybrid because we fall into almost every type of category possible when it comes to health care; for instance, people who are uninsured have to pay out-of-pocket when they want to see a doctor versus someone who is insured and only has to pay a deductable. Many companies in the United States offer free medical care for employers, or they make health care insurance fairly cheap to afford. Unlike many countries our healthcare system is a little rocky. Insurance companies can drop you for being to high risk leaving you stranded to find another insurance company or leaving you to pay out-of-pocket. Our system has forced many of our fellow citizens homeless, or with masses amount of debt. Japan on the other hand has a Universal healthcare, in which everyone is covered up to 70% of the cost. Japan’s healthcare is much cheaper than hear in America because in Japan, it is accustom to their culture that a family member acts as a nurse, in which they help assist with the patient. In Japan, they have separate hospital beds in the room for a person from the family to sleep in. The family member acts like a nurse by providing food, cleaning, and changing sheet just to name a few. People from Japan who are employed but do not receive health coverage from their company, can participate in a national health insurance program offered and controlled by their government. People in Japan cannot be denied coverage unlike our healthcare in America, and by law Japans hospitals have to be a non-profit hospital which is run by physicians. 1b. In 10 sentences or less [emphasis on less], describe the Beveridge, Bismarck, National Health Insurance and Out-of-Pocket models. The Beveridge model is named after William Beveridge and was designed/implemented in Britain’s National Health Service. This system is funded by the government through tax payments, similar to how a public library works. According to PBS, â€Å"Bismarck-type health insurance plans have to cover everybody, and they don’t make a profit. Doctors and hospitals tend to be private in Bismarck countries†(Health care system–the four basic models, 2008. ). â€Å"Universal health care is a term that refers to a governmental system meant to ensure that every citizen or resident of a region has access to the required medical services†(What is universal health care, 2003-2013). According to TLC, â€Å"An out-of-pocket expense is a no reimbursable expense paid by a patient. This could include any medical benefits that your health plan doesn’t consider â€Å"covered services. † But out-of-pocket expenses can also include covered expenses that you are responsible for before your health-plan benefits kick in at 100 percent coverage. When the insurance company pays all of your expenses and you have to pay only your monthly premium, you have reached the out-of-pocket maximum’’(Jeffries, M. , 2013). 2a. What types of healthcare plans are available in each country? You must discuss each in detail. The US has managed care plans [Health Maintenance Organizations, Preferred Provider Organizations, Exclusive Provider Organizations, Point of Service Plans], and indemnity coverage as well as Medicaid and Medicare and your country’s plan so you need to touch on them all in order to be detailed in your response. The United States has a managed care plan; managed care is used to help control cost. For instance, lets say you are rushed to the hospital, the first thing they EMT’s will ask you regardless how hurt you are â€Å"do you have insurance†. It is sad that the United States has such a terrible health care system. The United States utilizes HMO, which is health maintenance organization, this plans limits the amount of doctors you can see. This is where a person pays a monthly premium in exchange they are covered for hospital visits, pediatric care, x-rays, and many other services our health care has to offer. The person who utilizes this plan generally has to pay co-pay, which the cost varies depending on the type of plan you have. Many people like this type of plan because when you go to the doctor you don’t need to fill out claim forms. Members show a card when they go to the doctor or hospital. The downfall to this plan is that you might have to wait longer in the waiting room. Another plan the United States has is called point-of-service plan. This plan allows the members of the plan to refer themselves to an outside plan and still be able to obtain some coverage. A doctor can also make a referral out of the network and in-turn the health care plan will pay for most if not the entire bill. A preferred provider organization is another type of plan offered by the United States. Just like the health maintenance organization, the preferred provider organization limits you to the number of doctors you can see, but when you do find the right doctor most of your medical bills are covered. The preferred provider organization requires you to choose a primary care physician in order to monitor your health care. If you elect to go to a doctor who is not part of this plan, some of the medical expenses are covered. I deem some people like this plan because if their primary care doctor is not part of the plan, they don’t have to change doctors. According to Health Insurance. Info â€Å"An Exclusive Provider Organization (EPO) is a network of individual medical care providers, or groups of medical care providers, who have entered into written agreements with an insurer to provide health insurance to subscribers. In EPO, medical care providers enter a mutually beneficial relationship with an insurer. The insurer reimburses an insured subscriber only if the medical expenses are derived from the designated network of medical care providers. The established network of medical care providers in turn provide subscribed patients medical services at significantly lower rates than what would have been under normal circumstances. In exchange for reduced rates of medical services, medical care providers get a steady stream of business†(Exclusive provider organization, 2010. ). Japan has a national health insurance plan; this plan for people who are not covered by their employer. You can obtain this health care plan by living in Japan for a year. Japan does have universal health coverage as well, but this plan varies between each individual. Some factors that affect this plan are: visiting, studying, working, your age just to name a few. Your premium that you pay depends on your salary you make for the year, so the cost varies for every individual. In Japan their health care system provides free examinations for specific diseases, infectious diseases and parental care. The government pays up to 70% of the cost for every citizen and foreigners who have lived in the country for a year or longer. Japan has an awesome health care plan compared to the United States, and I deem this is why their economy is flourishing and they have one of the healthiest populations in the world. People in Japan have a longer life expectancy compared to any other county in the world; I deem this is due to the bombing health care, their life style choices, and knowledge. 3a. What alternatives are available if an individual loses their healthcare due to job loss? In the US there is more than one alternative. Please be specific for each country. People in Japan are covered no matter what happens to their job. They have a universal health care system in which their government pays up to 70% of their entire cost for any medical bill. People, who don’t have a job, hardly have to pay any coverage when they are ill no matter how severe their condition is. Unlike Japan, in the United States you generally will loose your health benefits, or you will have till the end of the month to utilize it. Some employers will allow you to have your benefits for 26 weeks, which is ample time to find another job with health benefits. You will have to file a claim through your place of work in order to do this action. 4a. The storage of healthcare records are evolving? Describe what EHR, EMR and the cloud are with respect to this evolving technology. We want to see a minimum of five points per explanation. â€Å"An electronic record of health-related information on an individual that conforms to nationally recognized interoperability standards and that can be created, managed, and consulted by authorized clinicians and staff across more than one health care organization†(What is emr and ehr, 2013. ). EHR’s has some great benefits, one great benefit it has over paper records is that it can notify a doctor or physician that a patient is due for a routine check up. Another benefit is that it makes it almost virtually impossible to loose or misplace someone’s records. I like the fact that you can call your doctor and ask them to just simply print and mail you your medical records with all of your medical history; it makes it much easier for a patient to access. I deem one day that doctors will be able to email, or have an app where a patient can access their medical records electronically just for viewing or printing purposes. According to Healthit. gov â€Å"An electronic medical record (EMR) is a digital version of a paper chart that contains all of a patient’s medical history from one practice. An EMR is mostly used by providers for diagnosis and treatment†(What is an electronic medical record, 2012. ). This is not as beneficial in my opinion as EHR’s are. The reason I feel this way is because EMR’s can only access medical files from one practice. Many people have more than one doctor such as an eye doctor, physician, and even a dentist. All these different practices utilize some sort of medical history that you have compiled over a certain time span. The cloud is a database where every doctor you encounter can access you files. Many people have mixed views about this so called â€Å"cloud†. From a doctors point of view it is great! They can see your medical history for every doctor you have been to. Some people may deem this to be a violation of HIPPA. Many people find it an invasion to their privacy and why would a physician need access to any of my other files. One benefit is doctors can see specific medicines you maybe allergic to that you may have for got to inform them about. 5a. What problems are associated with each country’s healthcare plan(s)? Details please. The United States health care system has many flaws; one is hospitals tend to over price patients. I learned from my Health Law and Ethics class, that some hospitals charge unnecessary charges such as $10. 00 for a cup they carry you medicine in. If you are in the hospital for some time that really adds up quickly! Another flaw our health care system has is over spending on testing. Our country spends more money on test with their patients than any other country. I read an article that a patient was experiencing heart burn constantly and rather than giving a $1,200 stress test (way over priced if you ask me) the doctor charged the patient with a $8,000 CT scan. Many insurance companies will not accept a patient who has had previous records of specific diseases or any chronic condition in fear that they will have to pay too much for their care. If a person who is young and can’t qualify for Medicare, Medicade, and does not have company medical benefits, they have to pay out of pocket. Japan is known for having one of the most superior health care systems in the world. One flaw that it has is a surprisingly high suicide rate. One study showed that these suicides were due to health problems. Japan has a high cancer rate because of the obsessive smoking and drinking in their country.

Sin and Personal Growth in The Scarlet Letter Essay

The Scarlet Letter was written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and was first published in 1850. Hawthorne’s purpose for The Scarlet Letter was to show how anybody can sin, and that sin should be used as an example to learn from. Hawthorne also made clear that good can come from sin and that sin can help a person grow. Hester Prynne is the main character of the book. She is still young when she has her child, Pearl. She is a strong and determined, and uses her past sin, and the â€Å"A† as something to learn from rather than something to be ashamed of. After the shame of getting the â€Å"A,† she moved into the outskirts of town and became a seamstress. The way she was able to move on from her sin and continue her life, even after being scorned and†¦show more content†¦He is known by several different names in the book, two of which are, â€Å"the leech,† and â€Å"the stranger.† He is known at first as â€Å"the stranger† because he shows up unexpectedly, and the Puritans do not know him. The name â€Å"the stranger† is also used to make him seem untrustworthy and possibly dangerous. After being called â€Å"the stranger,† he becomes known as â€Å"the leech.† In those times, doctors used leeches to suck out blood that was thought to be infected, with the intention of curing someone with a disease. Chillingworth being called a leech contrasts this because he sucks out the life out of Dimmesdale in order to take revenge on him for helping Hester to be unfaithful. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is an intelligent and emotional man who moved from England to Boston. He is Hester’s lover and Pearl’s father, although they are the only ones who know it. He is deeply convicted by the fact that Hester has to deal with public shame every day while he is almost worshiped despite the same sin. He is a great speaker and he convicts many hearts with his sermons, which, towards the end of the book, mainly concern sin and its power over the heart. 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