Read the following “scenario”: A university professor writes a textbook and gets a contract with a small university publishing company. The publisher plans to publish 1000 copies. If enough of the professor’s colleagues buy or use parts of the book in their classes, it may be possible to break even or make a small profit, either through sales or copyright use fees. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that enough copies will be sold, which could put the company’s survival in jeopardy. Textbook sales would be best for the author and the publisher, while portions in “course readers” would be the next best earning possibility. The library might buy a copy for students to borrow or the library might digitize a portion for online access, generating copyright use fees, but that is less income than the other two options.
Consider the following:
• The author should be fairly paid.
• The publisher should make a reasonable profit
• The faculty member and the library need to be able to use the book or parts of it in a classroom setting, a library, or online, and the cost needs to be affordable
• Students must be able to access the information for class preparation, learning, and exams, either free of charge or for a reasonable fee.
Question
1. discuss how the author, the publisher, the faculty member, the library, and the students can be accommodated
2. How can a fair arrangement be achieved?
3. What are the challenges in creating a fair arrangement for everyone
Answer
1. I think if the publisher publishes more, the problem is solved.
2. A fair arrangement can be achieved if the information is distributed equally.
3. The challenges in creating a fair arrangement for everyone is that it is difficult to distribute all information fairly because they are not enough for everyone.
Publishing more isn't always a solution. What if those books don't sell? Then, the publisher is more out of pocket than ever. Publishers have to figure out how many books will likely sell and publish only that number. They also have to figure out what to charge for the books. Authors and publishers don't actually make that much money these days, unless it's a big best seller (not textbooks, usually) in spite of the price of the books.
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