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	Vol.7, No 58, December 9, 1999
	Professors don't profit from books Mark Blackburn seems to be unaware of several points about the publishing of textbooks. First of all textbook publishers are not going to put up the money to print, distribute and promote books unless they expect a healthy return on their investment. Publishers regularly ask professors in a given field to review manuscripts to determine their potential as textbooks  and negative reports will usually result it a book's early death. Textbook editors are also careful about choosing books for publication, because their jobs are riding on the book's success. In addition, publishers count on selling lots of copies, which means they expect not only the author to use it in his class, but a significant number of professors around the country must also adopt it. Professors spend a great deal of effort selecting books for their classes, and they are not going to choose ones that are poorly written, inaccurate or out of date. The greater problem for professors is that there frequently are so many textbooks out there to choose from. Thus, if a book passes these many levels of review and is successful, the author deserves to be rewarded. Publishers pay authors royalties around 10 percent of the retail price of a book. Thus, a $50 book will net the author about $3.50 after taxes. Even if the book is enormously popular by textbook standards, it's not likely to make the author wealthy. There are, of course, some notable exceptions. Authors of widely used textbooks in general biology and general chemistry have enjoyed rich returns for their efforts, but they are in the great minority. Most textbook authors consider themselves lucky if they can cover their expenses. -- David M. Carlberg, Ph.D. Professor Department of Biological Sciences		Professor helps L.B.P.D. research Asian criminals   National health survey hits L.B.   Speech, debate team grabs first   Music instructor not singing blues   Student beats shopping challenge   POLICE LOG Walk through racism   Alcohol, drugs lead to teenage sex   Professors don't profit from books Circus Dragon   'Deuce' humorous   Led Zeppelin produces another classic release Scott's success goes beyond LBSU Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.