The Association of American Publishers releases monthly statistics on book sales of all types, including higher education/college textbooks.
Here’s what the latest AAP press release states about February book sales:
Higher Education publishing sales posted an increase of 262.9 percent for the month ($42.0 million) and increased 15.9 percent for the year. Finally, the K-12 El-Hi (elementary/high school) category posted total net sales of $102.3 million, up 25.2 percent from February 2009, and year-to-date sales of $196.9 million, a 30.1 percent increase.
The Association of American Publishers is the national trade association of the U.S. book publishing industry. AAP’s more than 300 members include most of the major commercial publishers in the United States, as well as smaller and non-profit publishers, university presses and scholarly societies—small and large. AAP members publish hardcover and paperback books in every field, educational materials for the elementary, secondary, postsecondary, and professional markets, scholarly journals, computer software, and electronic products and services. The protection of intellectual property rights in all media, the defense of the freedom to read and the freedom to publish at home and abroad, and the promotion of reading and literacy are among the Association’s highest priorities.
NOTE: All sales figures cited in this release are domestic net sales
This is good news for college textbook publishers. It should also be good news for us freelance writers that create supplements and ancillaries for college textbooks: there’s definitely money to pay us what we’re worth.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
IF publishers are making so much money, they why are textbooks so expensive?
Good question Mason.
Textbook publishers are for-profit businesses, so they need to make a profit overall on the books they sell.
Textbooks are expensive for many reasons. A major part of that is the amount of time (and thus money) it takes to edit and lay-out a textbook, and also to create all the full-color art and animations that go in and with the book.
And then publishers have to pay people like me to create student companion sites, lecture outlines for professors, test questions, and many other things.
I know it’s hard for students to afford textbooks, but overall the textbooks and their ancillaries are much better than when I was an undergraduate from 1977-1982.