RE: International textbook editions

["Barbara Waxer" <bwaxer1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

As a member of the Text and Academic Authors Association, a royalty author,
and a strong advocate for fair use, I thought I'd offer this perspective. I
agree with much John Mitchell's analysis....yet

The concerned parent's first assertion that the price is jacked up may not
be a complete analysis. International editions are generated from overruns
of the US English language editions. Publishers sell international versions
to countries for the specific purpose of providing low-cost access.
Sometimes they are printed on cheaper paper. Sometimes not. They are priced
to match the market in underdeveloped regions of the world where a
full-price copy of the book would not be affordable. The thinking is that
larger print runs are priced less per unit, so adding the international
edition to the run lowers the per unit cost for all units. This way, it
makes sense for the US publisher to serve this market even if the return on
sale of any particular book is not much more than the cost of production
plus shipping cost (i.e., by lowering the per unit costs for the domestic
runs). 

Amazon's forums are full of comments from consumers who have unknowingly
purchased things like pirated software (gaming), only to discover it won't
work much. For textbooks, Amazon's policy for sellers clearly states "
International Editions of textbooks that publishers have not authorized for
sale in the US may not be listed for sale on Amazon.com." How they enforce
that policy, we obviously don't know. That publishers are allowed to make
that assertion is way beyond my analytical expertise.

As textbook rentals begin to be tested as a business model, I can assure you
that authors are watching our publishers' actions very carefully - albeit
essentially helplessly. We have absolutely no input or influence at all.

Barbara Waxer
SFCC-NM

-----Original Message-----
From: chollan3@xxxxxxx [mailto:chollan3@xxxxxxx] 
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 1:39 PM
To: digital-copyright@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: International textbook editions

I was recently contacted by a parent who had purchased his college bound 
child a textbook from an online source. He bought a hard copy 
mathematics textbook through a vendor represented on Amazon.com. The 
online information did not indicate that the book was an international 
edition of a Pearson publication that was "illegal" to purchase for use 
within the US or Canada. When the parent received the shrink-wrapped 
text, there was a notice plastered inside the wrapping on the book 
itself with language warning consumers about these limitations of use. 
The book came from Malaysia, apparently, and was advertised at less than 
one-third the cost of the text in the US (~$50 vs ~$180). No wonder he 
bought it.

The parent was perturbed for several reasons: 1) the exorbitant mark-up 
for the same exact book available in the US, 2) the lack of consumer 
information from the Malaysian vendor (& the fact it was shipped to the 
US at all, given the warning), and 3) the lack of concern on the part of 
Amazon.com whose service was being used by the Malaysian vendor. As a 
copyright educator, how does one address this dilemma? Students and 
their parents want to do the ethical thing and purchase a work from the 
rightful content owner. In this case, they found out they are being 
fleeced by those who scream the loudest about their distribution rights!

Claudia Holland

   


 

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