No wonder students rebel against textbook publishers. The latest twist, described in today’s WSJ, is for publishing companies to produce slightly customized books–like a special edition of “A Writer’s Reference” that puts the University of Alabama’s name on the cover and includes a 32-page section describing the school’s writing program (taken right from the school’s web site.) There’s no value added for the student, but the university gets a $3 a book royalty (from over 4,000 copies) from publisher Bedford/St. Martin’s, and the publisher inhibits resale into the open used book market. (If it makes you feel any better, Professor […]