University press books - why do they cost so much? how does one read them free?

[kevin]

Anyone have any idea why books that are published by Academia end up costing on average at least $80 new? It doesn't appear to me from the writers I've spoken to, that they're getting larger advances to write these books. Does anyone have any good scams for getting this kind of stuff for free/cheap? There are several books I'm trying to read that I can't afford to pay $80+ a piece for, especially considering the fact that these types of books are always very dry, which makes them at times something of a chore to slog through. I've checked our local library system and they don't seem to be available there.

(edit: apparently OSU's library is open to the public and you can get a card to use the photocopy machine even if you're not a student.)

[ditmasduke]

Publishers are compiling data from a number of sources and they have to pay all those sources.

If you ever publish a history book, try to get it referenced in a textbook, you'll get PAID

[kevin]

Publishers are compiling data from a number of sources and they have to pay all those sources.

If you ever publish a history book, try to get it referenced in a textbook, you'll get PAID

If you have the time/inclination, I'd love it if you extrapolated on this a little bit more. There are royalties on concepts/information/facts/ideas? Also, what defines something as a "textbook?" Some of these works on academic imprints do not seem designed for any class in particular, as far as I can tell (these are mostly pretty niche sociological works I'm talking about).

[Whet Bull]

These are generally tiny print runs, they sell in the low hundreds, and are intended primarily for sale to university libraries, not individuals, because the subject matter is highly specialized and not of general interest.   Many big university presses -- e.g. Duke, Princeton, Berkeley -- publish more popular titles that you can find at bookstores, and those are priced like normal trade paperbacks.

[Whet Bull]

Reading them free:  If you know someone connected to the college library, they can obtain virtually any title through the library or through interlibrary loan.  College libraries are incredible -- Columbia U's music library, for instance, has numerous world psychedelia discographies, not to mention stuff like Anthony Braxton's Tri-Axiom Writings, which are virtually unobtainable on the market.

Many state universities allow non-students to obtain library cards.

[Whet Bull]

Publishers are compiling data from a number of sources and they have to pay all those sources.

If you ever publish a history book, try to get it referenced in a textbook, you'll get PAID

If you have the time/inclination, I'd love it if you extrapolated on this a little bit more. There are royalties on concepts/information/facts/ideas? Also, what defines something as a "textbook?" Some of these works on academic imprints do not seem designed for any class in particular, as far as I can tell (these are mostly pretty niche sociological works I'm talking about).

Way it works is, profs in tenure-track positions (or seeking same) are expected to publish a book every once in a while.  The books they turn out are generally extremely dull, clinically written treatises on highly specialized subjects, and are assembled by putting together several shorter essays or articles and, with some minor editorial tweaks, turning them into a book with an overarching thesis.  The writer shops these around to university presses because no one else has any interest in publishing them and no one else has an editorial staff that can understand what the books are about, critique them, and help shape the author shape them.

There are exceptions to this rule.  My father-in-law has written several very readable, informative books on Appalachian music and instrument-making over the years and published them through small specialty houses.  Recently, a university press took an interest in one of them and published it in a new edition under its imprint. 

[kevin]

Reading them free:  If you know someone connected to the college library, they can probably obtain virtually any title through the library or through interlibrary loan.  College libraries are incredible -- Columbia U's music library, for instance, has numerous world psychedelia discographies, not to mention stuff like Anthony Braxton's Tri-Axiom Writings, which are virtually unobtainable on the market.

Talked to someone at OSU today and it is open to the public and for $50 a year you can get a card to access all the online periodicals and journals that they have access to as well. You can get a BucID there too, if you're not a student, to use the photocopy machine, but you can use computers to scan stuff and send it to yourself free. All very good news and I feel real a little foolish I haven't taken advantage earlier. I'm definitely going to be now, and that makes a bit more sense about the prices then, when you point out how they expect institutions and not individuals to be purchasing these books. Hopefully they got everything I'm looking for somewhere in the Ohio system, because I guess I should be able to access the inter-library loan program as well.

[nuggetsvolume1]

As was mentioned, my understanding of this is that they are meant for sale to university libraries. I remember doing English reports that were nothing but weird university press books that only university libraries have. Not a huge audience for this stuff.

[Matt]

If you know someone in university they could probably give you access to JSTOR and you read a lot of academic books and articles online for free. Even if they have already graduated—I haven't been in school for a few years and I can still access it through my student log-in information.