by Patricia Cox

Created on: January 19, 2010   Last Updated: January 23, 2010

Does selling used textbooks hurt authors and publishers?

Yes, selling used textbooks, or any other genre of book, hurts the author, the publisher and many other people who are involved in the world of publishing.

To explain how, start at the beginning of the process:

The idea:

An author has an idea (or a commissioned subject) for a book. The author first must do any necessary research on his subject so that the facts are true or the subject matter is written correctly. Then the author will do a rough draft of his or her impression of how the book should be laid out and written, a process which can take weeks to complete. Next,  the author has to flesh the idea out into a full book with a certain amount of words and pages, which can take many months to complete.

If this is the author's first book, he or she has to have a source of income while writing. In a subsequent book, he or she may have the financial means to devote all of their time to writing without worry over finances.

The proofreader:

Upon reaching the publishing house, a proofreader has to read the book to see if it is publishable and sellable. If the book is approved, it moves on to the editors desk.

The editor:

The editor decides whether the book is what the house is looking for, what needs to be cut and what other corrections need to be made. 

After the editor is done, the manuscript is then sent back to the author so that the author can make the recommended changes and finalize the book.

The author:

The author makes the necessary cuts and corrections and resubmits the manuscript to the publisher.

The publisher:

After agreeing to publish the book, the publisher has to decide how many copies will be printed in the first run, how much upfront money will be paid to the author, what the book will look like, which stores will sell the book, what price the book will have, and many other important decisions.

Some of the costs:

Upfront payment to the author.

Salary of the proofreader, editor and the other people involved in the handling of the manuscript.

The printing costs of the book

The shipping costs of the book.

The costs of any artwork associated with the book.

Remember, the cost of the printed book is calculated using the authors notoriety, the upfront payment to the author, the costs of printing, costs of shipping and many other factors. Also factored into the price of each book printed is a small margin for profit.

The store:

The

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