By DIXIE HARRI
It happens at the beginning of every semester: sticker shock at the bookstore.
As students hear the bookstore register beep-beep-beep, they are often stunned by the five digit number (including decimals) illuminated on the register showing the amount of money they are required to hand over for the sake of their education.
College textbooks may seem expensive, but they could cost BYU students more if the bookstore’s policy was different, said Brent Laker, assistant director of books at the BYU Bookstore.
“We do everything we can to keep the prices down and help the students,” Laker said.
Laker said at 23 percent, BYU adds the lowest margin to the publishers price of all Utah colleges, and BYU also has one of the largest book buy-back programs in the country.
The normal markup of a text book is 25 percent, which is what UVSC marks up, said UVSC textbook manager Roxanna Fernelius.
“I think BYU is the only bookstore that has a lower markup (than UVSC),” Fernelius said.
Textbook prices may vary from school to school due to enrollment size. Laker said smaller schools may markup a book from 30 to 33 percent because costs may be higher with fewer students. Compared to other universities around the country, BYU has a relatively small student population of around 30,000, yet BYU’s bookstore is ranked between third and fifth in the nation in the amount of textbooks it sells, Laker said.
Many textbooks are written by BYU professors in order to cater to the BYU academic curriculum. Professors often feel they have something to contribute to teaching, which is the motivating factor behind professors writing books, said Fred Skousen, dean of the Marriott School of Management.
He said through teaching experience professors find different ways to help students learn. These ideas should be incorporated into textbooks.
Skousen said royalties from textbook writing are relatively small, about 10 to 15 percent for hardback and 5 to 10 percent for paperback, depending on the publisher. Skousen said when he first published over 20 years ago the royalties were 22 percent.
Laker said publishing textbooks can be lucrative for publishers and authors, especially if a text is used nationwide. However, if a professor writes a text for only one school the royalties are probably very small.
Skousen co-authored, with Steve Albrecht and James Stice, “Accounting Concepts and Applications, fifth edition” used by Accounting 200 and 210 students at BYU. He estimated the textbook is used at 75 to 100 universities nationwide.
Skousen said it took five years to get the first edition into print because they started from scratch. Textbooks are usually revised every three years.
Skousen said it typically takes the authors a year to rewrite the text and create new problems and solutions, then the publisher takes another year to revise the printing.
When university professors write and revise textbooks it also creates an opportunity for graduate students to help. It creates a good experience for the student and helps the authors considerably, Skousen said.
“We often use top graduate students to help write textbooks,” Skousen said. “A number of graduate students have helped over the years.”
One such student was Norman Nemrow, who now teaches Accounting 200, Skousen said.
Many BYU professors are also publishing packets catered to their courses in order to keep prices down for the students. The majority of professors don’t ask for any money and if they do the amount is minimal, said Justin Rex, a manager at Alexander’s Print Shop in Provo.
