In what appears to be a response to rising costs of textbook materials, Thomson Higher Education announced two initiatives offering its texts in formats that will reduce their purchase price by 25% or more.
Thomson Advantage series offers Thomson textbooks in a variety of lower-cost print editions, while Digital Discounts provides digital versions of textbooks as well as an array of Web sites and supplementary digital content.
However, Adam Gaber, director of communications for Thomson Learning, told PW that these initiatives were not a response to recent complaints about textbook pricing. "It's really about offering our customers choice. We're responding to a growing need for these kinds of materials." Gaber said these initiatives were not even new: "This started over a year ago. But now we've broadened the offer with many more title selections."
The Advantage series offers print texts in a low-cost format called Compact Editions, books with smaller trim sizes, fewer photographs and less use of color. There are also three-holed, loose-leaf editions called Value Loose-leaf Texts as well as Value paper and Value hardcovers, which are one- or two-color texts enhanced by supplementary material hosted on a Web site rather than placed in the books.
Gaber said the Advantage series will offer 25 of Thomson's "most respected" titles in lower-priced versions. Under the plan, a book like American Government and Politics Today, which usually sells for $67.75,
