That's the game the textbook-makers play. =/ Every few years (or less) they release a new edition that makes all previous ones worthless when you try to sell them back. Not saying updates are bad since certainly no one likes being stuck with textbooks full of dated material. *shakes fist at my Japanese textbook written in the 70s* But a lot of the subjects actually don't add anything or need updates as often, so it's really just a way to rake in more money.

Yeah, that's true.
I can usually check online for my college to see if they still take the textbook back though so I'm all set and I already know the price they'd give me.

Textbooks are actually so expensive largely because of used book sales. They cost far more in production anyway which accounts for a lot of the cost, but then they only get to sell the book one semester before 75 percent of students are buying used books and the publisher is getting little to no profit. In order to just make back the money they spent making the book, they had to raise prices. That's also why updated issues come out so often (more often than really necessary), so that students can't just buy the used copy and the publisher keeps making money.

It's a rather complicated issue, but not one we'll have to deal with all that much longer. Text book companies are the first ones that are really jumping on the e-book wagon (no more used books! Drastically lowered production costs! Plus, they're creating all kinds of interactive graphs and embedded video demonstrations to go along with the text), so within ten years nearly all textbooks will be e-books.

Don't get me wrong, by the way. I buy used books all the time, or go to the library. <<,, I can't afford new books. But I always feel a bit like I'm cheating the nice people who went to all the trouble of writing, editing, producing, and publicizing the book. Authors already make less than ten percent of the cover price (so, when you buy a non-sale book for $20, the author actually makes about $1.85).

Yeah, it is indeed a complex issue.

I know some people who have already bough e-books, but for me I can't stand them. I like having a physical copy I can reference at any time. Plus, reading online (especially textbooks) is both an eye-strainer and for me a very bad combination since I easily get distracted on the computer.

It's definitely a step towards improvement, but any time they say that textbooks or books in general are going to be completely replaced it never seems to come close to happening. There's a place for books, even in this modern age, but I do hope that a lot of people take advantage of e-textbooks in the future.

I can understand that. I wouldn't want to part with any of my recent books.
But like I said, all I trade are kiddie books. I'll never be reading the babysitters club again. xD So they're just taking up space, and they could be put to better use in the hands of someone who wants them. Plus, one less thing for me to have to deal with when I move out.

And thank you! :D
Yep! *points to sig* I'm 18. :D

@ Cherry - Oh. Well signatures do know all
Happy 18th, then. ^^

Happy Birthday Cherry! ^^

Oh, another birthdayperson

CONGRATZ CHERRY!!

Happy Birthday Cherry! :hug: :XD

Happy birthday, Cherry!

Ferra: The manuscript and the scroll existed simultaneously for 600 years. The book as we know it isn't going anywhere any time soon.

But if anything's going to be mostly replaced soon, it'll be textbooks, for the extras that can be added to the e-book soon. I don't think anyone's going to want hyperlinks and embedded video in their novels, but these will be extremely useful for textbooks and even many nonfiction books.

In addition, it's likely that students will start being provided with textbook specific e-book readers when they enter college (probably as part of their tuition). And with e-book textbooks being incredibly cheaper, as well as more interactive, most students will probably be happy to switch over.

That doesn't mean that regular textbooks will disappear. There will still be holdouts who don't want to do the e-book, or various other reasons.

An e-book reader isn't like a computer, by the way. E-book readers aren't backlit and don't cause the same eye-strain.

Yeah, I know what e-book readers are. *nods* I still am a traditionalist and like my books as books, but for some of the classes I'm not as fond of, I'd be more willing to buy an e-book. Others I plan to keep with me and use as resources for years to come.

-Late- Happy Birthday Cherry!
Haha it used to be that almost everyone I knew was born in May or September. But this year, I've finally seen so many July birthdays I don't feel alone. .-. <3

When is Donna's birthday?

As I'm grading the entries, Imma make some comments relating towards the challenge. I was waiting for some 'exotic princesses'. Like princesses from Asia, or Africa. Use your imagination, like a child would, and go some place and be its princess. Thats what I was looking for, was some one to think out of the box. I mean childish and stereotyped princesses are nice too, but I was hoping to see something unique. I was also hoping to find some purple dressed people. Like purple as their main color, because depending on where you are at, purple is the color of royalty.

xD At one point I was actually thinking of using purple. xD

If I went exotic, it would be closer to the avatar I was debating between with the challenge, which most of the comments I got on it said it is probably too detailed. xD

well i mean the other avvie wasnt really exotic
but yeah it was detailed
but not thorough detailing
only in some sections

:lol: anytime I do exotic, it will be pretty detailed if I can make it be so. xD Which is why I used that one as an example.
I am still wondering how to fix that one though. xD
We need a common update. xD

You'll never know. >> <<
XD

8D HEY VADEIL
long time no see
)<
GET BACK ON MENE MORE OFTEN
;3;
i miss your avvies

)<
SHAME ON YOU SILVER
SHAMEEEE

Ha! Well it's--it's wrong. :D
Yeah. That's just to confuse peoples.
ulose.

XD
yeah we've changed a bit
its not really clutter tastic theme we got going on
just abusing layers
>3>
which brings on the side effect of clutter