Wouldn't the amount of royalties an author of a published text book makes from assigning it to his own students be a fairly small fraction of the amount of money made on sales of the text? I can't imagine, as Christopher Green said, that your textbook is going to be published for long if you are the only one adopting it. If you are talking about course packs you create for your own course, those are usually done at cost. I know from the students' point of view, something seems fishy about a teacher adopting their own textbook but, from another perspective, wouldn't it be weird not to adopt your own textbook? If it isn't even the best text for your classes, what is the likelihood that it will be the best for someone else's? I can think of some textbook authors for whom I would attribute self-adoption to narcissism but I think, in most cases, it would be the most logical choice. This is coming from someone who has not written a textbook (but may someday).
Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Box 3055 x7295 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.jbu.edu/academics/hss/faculty/rfroman.asp Proverbs 14:15 "A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps." -----Original Message----- From: Don Allen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 11:58 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Obama thinks textbook writers are scammers Hi Beth- Let me clarify my post. I have nothing but admiration for David Meyers. I think that his gift to APS was a noble example and I wish I could follow suit. My only point was to take issue with the notion that textbook writing isn't lucrative. While I think that it's true that most authors make relatively little money from their work there are a few who (deservedly) seem to do quite well. -Don. Don Allen Dept. of Psychology Langara College 100 W. 49th Ave. Vancouver, B.C. Canada V5Y 2Z6 Phone: 604-323-5871 ----- Original Message ----- From: Beth Benoit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Monday, February 25, 2008 9:20 am Subject: Re: [tips] Obama thinks textbook writers are scammers To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > I think Dave Myers is probably too much of a gentleman to attempt > to defend himself, so I'm taking up the gauntlet. > > Dave works like a dog on his many textbooks. If he does well > financially, it's because he does such a great job and they're > very popular. Why can't we think that it's a wonderful thing if > he made a generous contribution? > > I couldn't get the link that Don sent to open up with any info > about Dave's purported gift, but I have heard the same comment > regarding the wonderful generosity of Melinda and Bill Gates. > ("Gee, they make so much money that a gift like that won't hurt > them.") Well, that certainly negates the positive aspect of the > gift-giving. Hugh Hefner and The Donald make quite a bit of > money, but I haven't read lately about them going to Africa to > find a cure for malaria, etc. > > Beth Benoit > Granite State College > Plymouth State University > New Hampshire > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Don Allen > To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) > Sent: Monday, February 25, 2008 12:06 PM > Subject: Re: [tips] Obama thinks textbook writers are scammers > > > Chris- > > Didn't David Meyers give APS a gift of 1 million dollars? > > see: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm? > id=1546 > > Did he win it in the lottery or was some of that money from > textbook > sales? > > -Don. > > Don Allen > Dept. of Psychology > Langara College > 100 W. 49th Ave. > Vancouver, B.C. > Canada V5Y 2Z6 > Phone: 604-323-5871 > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Christopher D. Green" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: Monday, February 25, 2008 8:13 am > Subject: [tips] Obama thinks textbook writers are scammers > To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" > <[email protected]> > > > Check out the following item from today's Inside Higher Ed: > > > > If Barack Obama is elected president, students upset about > > textbook > > prices may have an ally. While he hasn't proposed any > legislation > > on the > > topic, he used an appearance Friday at the University of Texas- > Pan > > American to criticize the way professors benefit from writing > > expensive > > texts. The /Chicago Tribune/ > > > > <http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/obama_on_a_col lege_textbook_ra.html> > > quoted him as saying: "Books are a big scam. I taught law at > the > > University of Chicago for 10 years, and one of the biggest > scams > > is law > > professors write their own textbooks and then assign it to > their > > students. They make a mint. It's a huge racket. /The Wall > Street > > Journal/ > > <http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/02/22/obama-to-students-be- > > careful-with-those-credit-cards/?mod=googlenews_wsj> > > reported that in a discussion in which Obama reiterated his > > criticism of > > private student loans, he also urged students to be careful > about > > their > > own spending. "Just be careful about those credit cards, all > > right? > > Don't eat out as much," the /Journal/ quoted him saying. > > > > I can't speak for law schools, but I don't know that anyone > makes > > "a > > mint" on textbooks. If it doesn't sell well beyond one's own > > classes, it > > isn't going to be around for very long, I would guess. And > doesn't > > it > > seem reasonable that if you spend a great deal of time an > effort > > laying > > out a particular topic in the way you think it should be > taught, > > that > > you would want to also use that book in order to teach it that > way? > > > Regards, > > Chris > > -- > > > > Christopher D. Green > > Department of Psychology > > York University > > Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 > > Canada > > > > > > > > 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ > > > > > > > > "Part of respecting another person is taking the time to > criticise > > his > > or her views." > > > > - Melissa Lane, in a /Guardian/ obituary for philosopher > Peter > > Lipton > > ================================= > > > > > > --- > > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > > > Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > --- > To make changes to your subscription contact: > > Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
