Avoid costly mistakes August 5, 2009
Posted by Eugene Aronsky in : Uncategorized, book reviews, books, college bookstores, education, financial aid, international editions, new books, textbooks, used books , add a commentWhen I was an undergraduate buying textbooks, or any books for that matter, was straightforward, I went to the bookstore and bought the book, or I went online and bought it on Amazon. If I could not afford the book I got a student loan to pay for textbooks (close to $12000 of student loans over 7 years of education went to textbooks). Sometimes I even got a textbook scholarship, but this was rare. All and all I did not have to concern myself with worrying, and had a complete disregard for how I would pay back my student loans. Moreover, the financial aid department at my school often encouraged me to think this way.
Today things are different. Sure you can still act as I once did, and many students do just that, but the reality is that student loans are harder to come by, and the job market being what it is, everyone is struggling and will likely continue to struggle after graduation. This is why I want to share what little wisdom I have acquired during my years as a student.
It has been brought to my attention that I do not make any money from the maintenance of this blog, this is totally true. This blog exists, and We Compare Books itself was founded because I want to help students. I feel an affinity with students, and I do not want them to repeat my mistakes. On that note I would urge you to read this blog, if you are a student, and please take the advice to heart. If you are a professor who cares about your students, you can share this blog’s URL with them. If you are a parent, or know anyone who could benefit from the information here, I would urge you to spread this news. The world has changed, and we cannot afford to keep living as though it has not.
All this to say: compare prices. It is imperative that you check prices, all over the Internet and at your local bookstore. This is the only way you can be sure to get the best prices for all your books.
A cool organization working to fight the ever rising cost of textbooks March 12, 2009
Posted by Eugene Aronsky in : Interns, Kyle Schiller, We Compare Books, books, bookstores, college bookstores, education, financial aid, international editions, new books, publishers, textbook publishers, textbooks, used books , add a commentIf you are in college already you know the cost of textbooks can be quite outrageous. Each year they seem to get more and more expensive, and the textbook companies continue to introduce superfluous new editions that really don’t change that much.
There is one group (I mean there is one group besides We Compare Books) – or rather a collection of groups – that is trying to “fight against the machine”, http://www.maketextbooksaffordable.com. This site is dedicated to addressing the problem of escalating textbook costs and advocating solutions. They are a collection of student PIRGs (Public Interest Research Groups) from across the nation that want to address the concern of ever rising textbook costs. Their preamble reads:
“The cost of college textbooks has become a major affordability issue for low and middle income students, adding to the potential that these students will either drop out, take on additional loan debt to pay for textbooks, or undercut their own learning by forgoing the purchase of textbooks.
Textbook publishers have not responded adequately to these concerns, but have continued to exacerbate this problem by raising prices and employing practices such as unnecessarily issuing new editions of textbooks.
Faculty and students both share a concern about textbook affordability and its impact on student success.
We must address this problem without undermining the academic freedom of faculty to choose course content.”
Their website is full of useful information about why the textbook industry is broken, how it takes advantage of students, and what students can do to educate themselves and try to fight back. They also have a sign-up page where you can add your signature to the cause to increase their numbers and influence. I definitely recommend every student check it out.
How do I find an international edition of a textbook? December 11, 2008
Posted by Eugene Aronsky in : international editions , add a commentInternational editions are one of those elusive things that many of us have heard about, but may not really have proof that they exist. Let me assure you, international editions do exist, they are real, and they are always cheaper than the real thing.
So what exactly is an international edition? Much as drug companies sell drugs in the US at a mark, and much cheaper abroad, publishing companies often have a US edition of a textbook that they’ll sell for $150, and an international edition of that same book that they will sell for $30. The only difference being the photo on the cover, or a slightly lower quality of the paper, but the important stuff, the actual text, is identical in both editions.
Finding international editions may take some time, but it is worth it when you are able to get the same book as the person sitting next to you in class, new, for 80% less! The important thing to note about international editions of textbooks is that you will never find them sold in a store in the United States, not at a big box bookstore, or at your university bookstore, and after the course the university bookstore will not be willing to buy the textbook from you. If you wish to sell the textbook following the course you will need to either sell it to another student taking the course or sell it online.
The types of textbooks that are likely to have international editions are textbooks in subjects that would be taught abroad the same way they are taught in the US: many business textbooks, computer science textbooks, most textbooks in technical fields, even many medical textbooks. To locate an international textbook there are a few options. You can Google for the title of the book + international edition, or a method that is more likely to work is to do an advanced search for the book with all of the information that you have at your disposal, (title, author, and edition) excluding the ISBN. Since the ISBN of a book is printing specific, international editions of textbook will have a different ISBN, but given that they are the same edition, everything else should be the same. If an international textbook version of your textbook exists, you are most likely to have success finding it by using a textbook comparison site such as We Compare Books, because such sites search multiple US and foreign bookstores, and are more likely to display the textbook if it exists. Don’t hesitate to use the link for “More Results” (bottom right of search results) as international editions are sometimes buried deep in the results list.