Textbook Purchases (for teachers)

Adamski47 · 05-30-2005, 11:27 PM

I am going to be a first year teacher in the fall. I am going to be teaching Broadcast Journalism (eventually full-time but next year I'll have some lit classes too).

Anyway, I found a really good textbook that I wanted to use on Amazon but it is too expensive ($50 a piece).

Does anyone know of a good place to get textbooks, as rare as a Broadcast Journalism text, for a relatively cheap price? The school I will be working for told me I had to find something cheaper than the ones I found.

Thanks for any advice! I am optimistic that there's something out there!

ShaqFu · 05-31-2005, 03:11 AM

Textbooks are expensive. Perhaps you could find a used textbook resource. Another idea might be to get a grant, since it sounds like this will be a new program for the school. Check with local TV stations. They might be willing to contribute to the cause.

The reality is that you probably can get away with buying a class set. How large will your classes be?

Tara · 05-31-2005, 03:27 AM

Try to http://www.deastore.com. It is an International service for book delivering. I don't know how much is the expediton cost to US. The great thing is that they do Business price to office, association, lab and maybe school.
The lab where i'm working has a business account with this dealer and the price are really good.

I put 'Broadcasting journalism' on the site search engine, and come out a lot of text...
Hope this coul help.

If don't, try what suggested ShaqFu. Great idea.

Shkspr · 05-31-2005, 05:44 AM

Used textbooks would probably the way to go, except for the fact that you're not likely to find a stack of what you need at most of the places on the net. Unless your class has about six kids, I don't see a lot of material out there that's going to be available in bulk on the resale market. Besides which, what items ARE on the market seem to be early '90s vintage by and large - likely too out of date to help.

There are two big problems you're going to find in shopping for new texts. You've encountered the first one, which is price - it's quite difficult to find a title written specifically for the academic market for less than $40-50 a pop. The second, related problem is that the wholesale margin on textbooks can be really thin. Most any local bookstore you work with will probably be able to cut you a 20-30% price break on a class set of books, but not if they're from a textbook publisher.

ShaqFu's suggestion of a grant or donation from local broadcast outlets is strongly worth pursuing. The only cheaper option for new books that I think might work is going to center on finding books written not specifically as textbooks, but as handbooks for the layman. You've got to find books that were meant to be sold in places like B&N or Borders, because those are the titles that are going to retail at $25 or so, and those are the books you're going to be able to negotiate a further discount on. Stay away from publishers like Pearson, Lippincott, and Houghton Mifflin (McGraw Hill is also a major publisher, but some of their stuff might be cheap enough to work) or books that show up as fourth, fifth, or sixth editions. Look at practical work that you can adapt for use as a text. If you've got a couple weeks to check things out, ask your bookseller if they can order three or four different books so that you can browse through them. Don't seriously consider a new text if your bookseller can't get as many copies as you need (this is not a trivial consideration).

Once again, though, look for ways to raise the money. There aren't a heck of a lot of ways that the end user can save a buck on a new textbook, and unless you get lucky with a local university program, getting a set of used texts on this topic doesn't look like it'll be much easier. Good luck, and if you try to find something new and inexpensive, I'll see if I can help.

JonInMiddleGA · 05-31-2005, 09:46 AM

You might find something worthwhile at the Radio & Television News Directors Assoc. page http://www.rtnda.org/
Not sure what educational materials are there specifically, but I've always felt their interest in helping schools (both HS & College) was genuine. Maybe a phone call to someone there might lead to a good recommendation or helpful advice.

Also ... have you checked the web for what texts are being used at other schools for similar-level courses? If a school is similar to yours, maybe they're using some texts chosen with the same criteria in mind?

Passacaglia · 05-31-2005, 10:20 AM

This is so weird! I was at a teaching job fair last December in Chicago, and I saw someone whose name tag said something Adamski, and I wondered if it was you or a relation.

Anyway, I have no actual advice, but I'll be reading for my own use, as I'm in the same boat (my first year of teaching begins this fall, but as far as I know, I don't need to find textbooks). Good luck!

Adamski47 · 05-31-2005, 10:37 AM

WOW! Thanks for all of the great advice! I'll be making some phone calls to some of the local television stations out that way (I thought about that before but now you guys have motivated me!). Thanks so much for all of the links too, I will be thoroughly be checking into these.

Passacaglia, that was indeed me at the Chicago job fair! I went to one in December (CPS) and another Superbowl weekend in the 'burbs (Naperville). Oddly enough, I got offered the job at Woodstock without any contact from them at either job fair lol.

Where will you be teaching? Like I said, I'll be at Woodstock but I'm originally from Trenton, MI (south of Detroit).

Passacaglia · 05-31-2005, 10:47 AM

Yeah, the CPS one is the one I went to! I think I know some people who went to the one in Naperville, but I really wasn't looking for anything out that far. It wasn't really all that useful, but I did end up getting work as a long-term sub (God bless maternity leave) at Niles West, and I'll be teaching at Lincoln Park in the fall.

05-31-2005, 09:46 AM	#5
JonInMiddleGA Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Behind Enemy Lines in Athens, GA	You might find something worthwhile at the Radio & Television News Directors Assoc. page http://www.rtnda.org/ Not sure what educational materials are there specifically, but I've always felt their interest in helping schools (both HS & College) was genuine. Maybe a phone call to someone there might lead to a good recommendation or helpful advice. Also ... have you checked the web for what texts are being used at other schools for similar-level courses? If a school is similar to yours, maybe they're using some texts chosen with the same criteria in mind? __________________ "I lit another cigarette. Unless I specifically inform you to the contrary, I am always lighting another cigarette." - from a novel by Martin Amis

05-31-2005, 03:11 AM	#2
ShaqFu H.S. Freshman Team Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: South Florida	Textbooks are expensive. Perhaps you could find a used textbook resource. Another idea might be to get a grant, since it sounds like this will be a new program for the school. Check with local TV stations. They might be willing to contribute to the cause. The reality is that you probably can get away with buying a class set. How large will your classes be?

05-31-2005, 03:27 AM	#3
Tara Mascot Join Date: May 2005 Location: Rome, Italy	Try to http://www.deastore.com. It is an International service for book delivering. I don't know how much is the expediton cost to US. The great thing is that they do Business price to office, association, lab and maybe school. The lab where i'm working has a business account with this dealer and the price are really good. I put 'Broadcasting journalism' on the site search engine, and come out a lot of text... Hope this coul help. If don't, try what suggested ShaqFu. Great idea.

05-31-2005, 05:44 AM	#4
Shkspr College Benchwarmer Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Amarillo, TX	Used textbooks would probably the way to go, except for the fact that you're not likely to find a stack of what you need at most of the places on the net. Unless your class has about six kids, I don't see a lot of material out there that's going to be available in bulk on the resale market. Besides which, what items ARE on the market seem to be early '90s vintage by and large - likely too out of date to help. There are two big problems you're going to find in shopping for new texts. You've encountered the first one, which is price - it's quite difficult to find a title written specifically for the academic market for less than $40-50 a pop. The second, related problem is that the wholesale margin on textbooks can be really thin. Most any local bookstore you work with will probably be able to cut you a 20-30% price break on a class set of books, but not if they're from a textbook publisher. ShaqFu's suggestion of a grant or donation from local broadcast outlets is strongly worth pursuing. The only cheaper option for new books that I think might work is going to center on finding books written not specifically as textbooks, but as handbooks for the layman. You've got to find books that were meant to be sold in places like B&N or Borders, because those are the titles that are going to retail at $25 or so, and those are the books you're going to be able to negotiate a further discount on. Stay away from publishers like Pearson, Lippincott, and Houghton Mifflin (McGraw Hill is also a major publisher, but some of their stuff might be cheap enough to work) or books that show up as fourth, fifth, or sixth editions. Look at practical work that you can adapt for use as a text. If you've got a couple weeks to check things out, ask your bookseller if they can order three or four different books so that you can browse through them. Don't seriously consider a new text if your bookseller can't get as many copies as you need (this is not a trivial consideration). Once again, though, look for ways to raise the money. There aren't a heck of a lot of ways that the end user can save a buck on a new textbook, and unless you get lucky with a local university program, getting a set of used texts on this topic doesn't look like it'll be much easier. Good luck, and if you try to find something new and inexpensive, I'll see if I can help.

05-31-2005, 10:20 AM	#6
Passacaglia Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Big Ten Country	This is so weird! I was at a teaching job fair last December in Chicago, and I saw someone whose name tag said something Adamski, and I wondered if it was you or a relation. Anyway, I have no actual advice, but I'll be reading for my own use, as I'm in the same boat (my first year of teaching begins this fall, but as far as I know, I don't need to find textbooks). Good luck!

05-31-2005, 10:37 AM	#7
Adamski47 High School JV Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Chicago, IL	WOW! Thanks for all of the great advice! I'll be making some phone calls to some of the local television stations out that way (I thought about that before but now you guys have motivated me!). Thanks so much for all of the links too, I will be thoroughly be checking into these. Passacaglia, that was indeed me at the Chicago job fair! I went to one in December (CPS) and another Superbowl weekend in the 'burbs (Naperville). Oddly enough, I got offered the job at Woodstock without any contact from them at either job fair lol. Where will you be teaching? Like I said, I'll be at Woodstock but I'm originally from Trenton, MI (south of Detroit).

05-31-2005, 10:47 AM	#8
Passacaglia Coordinator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Big Ten Country	Yeah, the CPS one is the one I went to! I think I know some people who went to the one in Naperville, but I really wasn't looking for anything out that far. It wasn't really all that useful, but I did end up getting work as a long-term sub (God bless maternity leave) at Niles West, and I'll be teaching at Lincoln Park in the fall.

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