Nine out of ten students think learning materials are overpriced; eight out of ten think the prices are unfair; and six out of ten often don’t buy even the materials as a result.
Catching up with PW's Andrew Albanese
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Even as summer pours on the heat, school is resuming in some parts of the country. In weeks, the nation’s colleges and universities will begin to welcome the Class of 2022. A good season, then, for students and parents to reflect on the cost of learning materials. Publishers, and now, lawyers, too, are doing likewise.
For this new academic year, publisher Cengage has introduced a Cengage Unlimited, a subscription service it says will lower costs for students. In the meantime, Cengage has released a survey on students’ concerns about the cost of their learning materials, reports Andrew Albanese, Publishers Weekly senior writer.
“I’ll give you several big takeaways: the first is that nine out of ten students think their learning materials are overpriced; eight out of ten think those prices are unfair, which is a leading cause of anxiety for their studies; and six out of ten often don’t buy their materials as a result,” he tells CCC’s Chris Kenneally.
The move from unit sales to subscription services also earned Cengage a lawsuit by two of their authors, who claim the business model switch will cheat them of royalties, according to Albanese. This week, he says, the plaintiffs’ legal team sent the court a proposed schedule for proceedings.
Every Friday, CCC’s “Beyond the Book” speaks with the editors and reporters of “Publishers Weekly” for an early look at the news that publishers, editors, authors, agents and librarians will be talking about when they return to work on Monday.
