One approach which I think has a future, would be for educators to produce printed textbooks (i know... i know... very retro;) and make a reasonable profit from

One approach which I think has a future, would be for educators to produce printed textbooks (i know... i know... very retro;) and make a reasonable profit from each sale. The value chain will be like: author -$20-> print-on-demand-shop -$30-> shipping -$35-> reader This is essentially a streamlining of the traditional textbook publishing model, focussed towards authors' interests (66% margins is the kind of incentives to make knowledgeable person want to sit down and write a book). It is a pretty good value for the student too (1/3 of cost of book offered by traditional publisher). Specifically for textbooks, students appreciateª the value/portability of the printed book and are willing to pay for it. If the cost of the perfect bound book (delivered to your door) is lower than what it would cost to print out and bind a pirated PDF, then the business will work. Honestly, I think that print-on-demand and the above author-centered publishing model have the potential to bring about an intellectual revolution on the scale and importance similar to when the Gutenberg press was invented. ____________________ ª: http://www.roughtype.com/?p=2922 http://www.roughtype.com/?p=2922