Interview with a bookseller: University Textbooks

With the back to school  period just behind us, we wonder why textbooks always break the bank. Mohamed Kharwa, Vice President of the SA Booksellers Association and the Academic Sector Chairperson, answers a few questions on university/college textbooks.

With the back to school period just behind us, we wonder why text books always breaks the bank. Mohamed Kharwa, currently a Vice President of the SA Booksellers Association and the Academic Sector Chairperson, answers a few questions on University/College text books. Kharwa has degrees in B. Pharmacy (UKZN), B. Tech (DUT) and MBA (DUT-Wales). He previously served on the Executive of the Pharmaceutical Society of SA and in 2007 moved to Durban to join the family business, Pro Visions Books. Pro Visions has been a specialist Academic Bookseller for over 18 years. They are the official UNISA Booksellers and supply IMM, CIMA and other Universities. They supply books across Southern Africa and internationally and have grown to be a leading independent supplier of Academic materials. Pro Visions are a 100% Black Owned, Level 1 BEE Certified and have a majority Female Management and Staff.

Why are University textbooks so expensive?
These are specialist resources that have been compiled by professionals and academics who have years of experience. The publishing process can be very risky, after investing in developing the product, the market can be quite small from which the costs have to be recovered and a profit has to be made. The cost of a book is not the paper and ink (that is probably one of the smaller portions of the total cost of production and distribution).
The cost of Copyright infringement through photocopying – this is discouraging the production of truly South African material – moves prescribers to foreign texts which are subject to exchange rates etc.

E-Textbooks
There has been a growing discussion on the use of E-Texts by Tertiary Institutions in SA.
They’re not cheaper to produce or distribute. They are more convenient, but anecdotally students seem to prefer to study from hardcopies. Some academics believe that E-Textbooks should be free/cheaper but the cost of production of a “Quality” textbook is the same in either format. The big change may be when “books” are replaced with “E-Content” – a whole new media – but it could be at a substantially higher cost to produce especially for limited markets.

NSFAS Bursaries
This is a hidden success! While there is a great deal of criticism about how and what funds Government has made available, there are positive changes for students and booksellers in being able to provide study material to these students. While there will never be enough money to help all the deserving students, there are changes that are working to improve the system. There is always room for better controls, but it works as long as everyone plays their part.

Specialist Booksellers versus Mass retailers
The specialist booksellers are professionals in their field. University or even School Textbooks are not discretionary purchases – most are prescribed and specialist stores can tell what the differences are between them. It’s like ordering medicine from your local pharmacist who knows what you have been on before and what the doctor in the area prescribes vs. ordering online. It’s harder for you to get the advice you need from the mass retailer. Sometimes it’s more expensive, but you are paying to have the item available on a shelf when you walk in, to have people who know what is needed and to have a range of supporting material that they have selected to keep. Bookselling is a profession.
Even in the US where Amazon dominates bookselling there has been a steady shift to more people ordering from local specialist stores

Should students use 2^nd Hand Books at University?
If it’s the correct Book, yes. But you need to know what you are buying.
Often students on Campus are sold outdated editions by previous students. They are then left having to buy the correct book later and lose out as they can’t get their money back on the old Book. You need to know if the books have online resources that you may need. These are often once-off /expire in a year, so you may need to buy a new textbook.
Also be weary of buying stolen books – Unfortunately at some campuses the theft of textbooks is a problem.

Why do Lecturers/Publishers keep changing editions?
There is a perception that editions are changed to be able to force students to buy new books. This is not true. There are some instances (1 in 1000 or less) where some self-publishing lecturers have done this in the past but some universities now have rules against this.
Generally new editions are released every 3-4 years to update content/improve on areas that were found to need more explanations
However some subjects change annually (Tax, Law). In others, the subject matter is evolving at a frantic pace like in IT and Programming.

Some Students manage to do courses without the textbook. Why buy it?
If you try to do the course without the book and then realise that you need it two weeks before the exam you reduce the value you get out of the book. A R300 book costs R1 a day if you use it for a year but R20 a day if you use it for 2 weeks! Also If you are spending so much on University fees why risk failing a course to save R300 on a textbook. UK research has shown that Students are 70% more likely to pass if they have a textbook as opposed to those without.

Why Can’t Students use the textbook in the Library?
There just aren’t enough copies. Some courses have 100’s even sometimes over 1000’s of students and the library can only afford to buy a handful of copies. Often these are for the academics and are in reserve so you have to use it at the Library, when it is open, and when the other 500 people are not using it.

Why are University Textbooks out of stock at Booksellers?

There are a few factors that can cause this:

• The Booksellers: Sometime plan inadequately or don’t manage their stock correctly. Experienced and professional booksellers know that this is damaging so are less likely to do so.  Not everyone enrolled buys a book and they may buy from different bookshops. Guessing how much to order can therefore be complex.
• Publishers: Two years ago bad weather at Cape Town’s Harbour delayed the delivery of books for over two weeks. The printing, editing and approval of the final draft can be delayed.
• Shipping: Many books need to be imported and anything from customs to Ash clouds/hurricanes  can be involved.
• Academic Years for Europe/US start in September, so new editions are often difficult to get for our South African second semester.
• Academics/Universities fail to inform booksellers what they are proscribing so the Bookshop only finds out you need the book when you ask.