A: Elizabeth
Boepple, Presenter of the TAA-sponsored workshop on how to prepare
camera-ready copy:
"I think this
depends on the intended function of the book and the time-critical
nature of the content. We're using electronic books to retain control
over frequent updates, include Internet Hyperlinks for recent changes
in research, and to easily distribute corrections and revisions. At the
moment, I'm preparing an electronic version so that I can include
movie clips of screen captures with audio for tutorials. It's
a great medium to eliminate the exorbitant cost of color printing,
also. (A lot of great graphical material fits on one CD.) We
have also found that we can self-publish more easily and get
to press more quickly with electronic versions. On the other hand,
marketing is time-consuming when you self publish."
A: Stan
Gibilisco, TAA Member:
"I do not think
so. Reference books such as dictionaries and encyclopedias have
been affected by the Internet. For quick reference, especially while
writing on a computer, the Internet is an unbeatable resource. With
a high-speed connection such as we have here in the Black Hills 'technology
corridor,' it is easier to go to the Internet than to the dictionaries
and encyclopedias I have right here in my office.
Textbooks, however,
are somewhat different because lots of people still like to study
from a device that requires no boot-up (taking about the same length
of time as an old tube-type radio from the 1930s), acquires no viruses
or other malware, does not compromise their privacy, and does not
result in cumulative trauma disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
One can put a good old printed book in a backpack, go to the library
or a cafe or wherever, and work without any of the electronic muss
and fuss that goes along with any computer.
That said, digital
works will adversely affect textbook sales, especially for textbooks
that are priced high by anybody's standards (let alone those of a
student). This sort of thing encourages piracy, which is nigh impossible
to prevent. But, just as libraries did not cause the demise of hardcopy-book
stores, so I believe that digital textbooks will not render printed
matter obsolete.
There is another
thing, too. I suspect the reverse may, over time, prove true. Word
processors and text viewing programs change so often that, in 100
years, a book printed on acid-free paper may be the only recourse
for someone who wants to study history. Digital files have a tendency
to *evolve into obsolescence* within years or decades. Floppies and
ZIP disks from the 1990s are almost impossible to read nowadays without
a legacy machine; DVDs are already taking the place of CDs. Yet right
now I am reading a wonderful book printed in 1895 (yes, the last decade
of the 19th Century), from the library here in town, and it was last
checked out when Harry Truman was President. In another 110 years,
people might see our CD media and think they were some sort of minuaturized
frisbee. I can see students of 2112 throwing those things around their
dorm rooms and making fun of us.
The troubling
aspect is, if the media becomes fluid, will not the very content become
volatile as well? Hmmm. I had better stop now, and save the remainder
of this rant for a full-length article. On paper as well as digital
media."
A: Steven
G. Krantz, Professor of Mathematics and Deputy Director, American
Institute of Mathematics:
"Stan, I'm inclined
to agree with most everything you say. However, today many frontline
publishers have aggressive e-book programs. It's clear that those
programs are valuable for keeping books in print, and for 'print
on demand'. As you indicate, it's not at all clear that people
are ready to curl up in bed with an e-book.
Every few years,
and right now is one of those times, there is a big push for
handheld electronic devices to read electronic books. Many millions
of dollars have been invested in these programs, and they've
all been a total bust. People don't seem to want this yet. My
guess is it will change, but I don't know when."
A: David
Lancy, TAA Member:
"I've thought
about this question a lot...I have authored both conventional texts
and texts prepared for delivery on CD-ROM. Re the former, it kills
me to see all the Used stickers on the texts my students bring
to class. On the other hand, the CD-ROM texts -- far cheaper
-- have zero resale market. The number of units sold is rarely
less than the number enrolled. The production and distribution
costs of the CDs are minimal compared to a conventional text.
Five years ago
my students groused about the CD-ROM texts and would have preferred
conventional volumes.Today, the grousing has all but ceased.
And yet publishers
(in social science) seem oblivious to these issues. I would have
thought that every textbook published at this point in the evolution
of technology would have electronic or digital components whose purpose
was to enhance instruction AND nullify the resale market.
The only foray
in this direction that I've seen (and I don't recall the book)
was a password protected supplementary website. The password encrypted in
the new textbook would expire in 6 months. I don't have a sense that
this strategy was about to catch fire.
I think that
electronic publishing provides a pathway taking us back to the good
old days when publishers and authors got a decent return and students did
not have to sell their first-born to pay for their textbooks. But
I do not hear these sentiments echoed by textbook publishers.
What gives?"
A: Ronald
C. Roat, Associate Professor/Coordinator Online/Print Journalism University
of Southern Indiana:
"I love this
discussion, but like most of the other 800-plus on the list, I don't
see a solution unless and until 1) publishers make decent money on
CDs and 2) authors make decent money on CDs. Until we step out
of the pixie dust world and consider these two goals, discussing
CDs and the Internet as solutions misses the entire point we
write and someone else publishes."
A: Richard
Hull, TAA Executive Director:
"I've covered
some of the reasons why e-books have not caught on both with publishers
and with students in one of my Richards's Blogs. See the one for 2007-1-16
titled "Is Your Textbook Digital? Do Your Readers Want It To Be?" You
can access it here.
I have a professionally
published paperback textbook for which I retained digital edition
rights. I get requests for the digital edition, and have used
the technology described elsewhere in this thread by Elizabeth Boepple that
encripts the CD-ROM so that it can be opened on only the first computer
that opens it, preventing resale. The instructor requested a CD-ROM
for his students that would allow them to print out sections
to bring to class, rather than the other form in which I provide
the e-book, as an uploaded document. The latter is cheaper for
the student because there is not an intervening bookstore that
adds its profit to my sale price. The CD-ROM could be mailed
individually to each student, but that does take additional time
and postage and there is an added cost of producing the CD-ROM. All
considerations to be factored."
A: Kevin
Patton Ph.D., Professor of Life Science, St. Charles Community
College (SCC):
"My most recent
revision of a textbook includes a downloadable e-book version
as part of the package when a student buys the book.
Being a technophile
when it comes to learning new learning technologies, I thought
it was pretty cool . . . But also thought my students wouldn't like
it or use it and the whole idea would whither and die.
I suggested on
the first day of our class that the students should bring a printout
of Chapter 1 instead of the book, which weighs fully 10 pounds.
However, that first chapter printed out at over 100 pages! In the
printed text, it's 36 pages (still a big chapter). It's a text
on human anatomy and physiology, so of course they wanted the
COLOR versions of the heavily illustrated material. They can't
print that out on campus, and many can't or won't at home. Per page,
printing it out themselves on a nice color printer, it can cost
them twice the original price of a new book to print out the
e-book. (It's 1200 pages and under $200)
On the other
hand, our e-book software lets them highlight portions and save
their highlights (even several different sets of highlights) and print
only the selected sections. Or print only certain figures or graphs,
which they can then insert directly into their notes. I give
'open book' online tests, so they can do a word or phrase search of
the whole text. Or print out a 'study guide' of their highlights
of the stuff they know I'll be focusing on in the test.
So the bottom
line is that few of my 200+ students actually READ the e-book.
But they do USE it heavily for things you just can't do easily with
a print book. Despite the bulky size, the paper book is still less bulky
than a laptop and doesn't have batteries to recharge.
My take? We're
on the verge of a sea-change . . . But not quite there."
