FYI, from Chem Educ List. Is this the future, or already history for publishing? Terry ------ Forwarded Message From: Roy Jensen <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: CHEMED-L <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 16 Feb 2010 11:48:37 -0500 To: CHEMED-L <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Publishing model... A few weeks ago, I promised to post a publishing model that I have been developing. I would greatly appreciate your thoughts on the model, specifically flaws in the logic and application. Please note that I realize that I will need to partner with someone for some services, but not a 'full-service publisher', for obvious reasons. ***LICENSING MODEL*** PERSONAL USE: the electronic version (pdf) of Exploring Chemistry is available FREE FOR PERSONAL USE. EDUCATIONAL USE: any person or institution that adopts Exploring Chemistry must pay a per student, per term fee for the electronic version (pdf). COMMERCIAL USE: contact to arrange licensing of the electronic version (pdf). The bound version will be sold through regular retail outlets (between 80 and 100 $). ***DETAILS*** This model is similar to the model used by many software companies: free for personal use; commercial users pay. This model won't work with your average novel or cookbook. Textbooks are unique in that they are used in localized settings (academic institutions). My goals are * to prepare a quality resource * to educate the general person about chemistry * to receive reasonable compensation for my work PERSONAL: the average person, with a passing interest, isn't going to spend 80 - 200 $ on a textbook. Yes, there are resources on the internet; I am just adding mine to that collective. High school teachers can see what and how students will be learning in first year. Instructors teaching 200+ level courses can see how a topic was taught in first year. Giving the pdf away for personal use gives me exposure, more people will review the text and find errors and/or provide me with additional examples, and, from a meta perspective, the lay person gains a little insight into chemistry in the world around them. Downloaders must enter a valid email address so that I can notify people when new editions come out, contact them for feedback, etc. There will be a link at www.ExploringChemistry.com where people can donate a few $$$ if they are so inclined (akin to the Wikipedia model). EDUCATIONAL: the underlying premise for academic institutions is one of honesty. Institutions will collect and remit a per term textbook fee for every student registered in the course (possibly include the cost in materials fees, etc.). The institution will receive a customized pdf for distribution to their students. Both students and instructors will have access to the ancillary resources (ppt presentation, solution's manual, videos, etc.) on www.ExploringChemistry.com. Anyone can register and get 'student' access. (For privacy, only the student's name, institution, and email are required for registration.) Access to the instructor resources requires additional verification. I was thinking 25 $ per student per academic term. In programs where only one term of chemistry is required, the cost is 25 $. Where two terms are required, 50 $. When the student fails and takes it again and again, they pay again and again. (Hey, the institution collects tuition for all these terms!) These funds would compensate me, pay for additional online services (tutorials, which I will contract out), and pay for additional resources (programs, videos, images, etc.). Of course, once they complete the course, students fall into the 'personal' category and get the latest version for free. There may be instructors trying to bypass the system, but that is where the internet and website are great: students who register on the website give their institution. If several come from the same institution, then it is worth investigating. The textbook information for the course is readily available by contacting the institution bookstore, department, and/or the instructors' course outline. A nice demand letter to the department, a letter to their administration, a letter to the local and student papers, and lawyers would be the escalation profile. If people include passages from my text in their custom resources -- plagiarism -- services like www.copyscape.com will find them. Also www.writingconsultation.com/copyscape-and-other-plagiarism-checkers/ Random audits -- asking for a formal declaration of the number of students registered in the given courses -- will keep institutions honest. Additionally, copyright law also allows for penalties well above the per item cost (statutory damages) and I heard that flagrant violation of copyright legislation in the US is a felony(?). COMMERCIAL: (I really can't think of a commercial application of a textbook, other than instruction.) Most likely, an individual would fall under the PERSONAL model while training courses would fall under the EDUCATIONAL model. Assuming people are honest is a refreshing change to today's corporate mentality. This saves the hassle of trying to secure an electronic document -- the music and video industry has FAILED dismally at this and many people say that it is impossible to do. Money must be spent investigating and recovering monies owed, but then you also have penalties and damages. Academic institutions don't generally like the publicity associated with being sued. My pricing is *way below* what publishers are charging for one-year online access, which ranges from 80-120 $ for a general chemistry textbook. (Visit www.CoursesMart.com and look at the chemistry etexts.) CafeScribe (www.cafescribe.com) actually sells permanent electronic licenses for use with their reader -- much like a generic Kindle -- I'm impressed. Other thoughts... The pdf will be protected to prevent copying of text and images. The image resolution will be decreased. Not sure about preventing printing, which will only stop the honest. Not sure how to handle instructors who list Exploring Chemistry as an 'optional resource'. This will work with the North American educational model, but not sure about other countries. I understand that some European countries just have dozens of copies of the several textbooks in the library and students use whichever text they like. Thanks for reading. Your thoughts? Dr. Roy Jensen (==========)-----------------------------------------¡è Chemistry, Grant MacEwan University VP Professional Affairs, MacEwan Faculty Association Room 5-172J, 10700-104 Avenue Edmonton, AB T5J 4S2 780.633.3915 ------ End of Forwarded Message