Textbook Bundling & Customization: Is There Value?

New merchandising practices on behalf of publishers have grown over the past two years. Many publishers are convincing professors to include additional materials with the textbook order, thereby enabling publishers to charge higher prices and create built-in obsolescence. Textbooks bundled with consumable materials such as CDs, study guides and periodical subscriptions cannot be re-sold or re-used by students or bookstores the following year, rendering many books worthless after one year of use. The other practice, customization, is also having a profound effect on students and bookstores. These practices are costing bookstores and students millions of dollars per year.

Connect2One has issued a report, Textbook Bundling & Customization: Is There Value?, which outlines the issues and what college bookstore managers can do to help students by educating faculty and administration on how bundles and customization affect the cost of college textbooks.

In addition, Connect2One has information on this site on the issue of textbook bundling and customization. Click on any of the above links to learn more.