Pearson 7 Science Textbook

[Kellye Tunks]

Releasedin 2009 with the new Miller and Levine high school biology textbook, we produced 35 science videos to complement each chapter. There are videos in human biology, ecology, evolution, cell biology, and gentics. Each video is designed to elaborate on the chapter mystery for each chapter. Learn more about this program at: Biology.com

Pearson is changing the way middle school science is taught. Their new program makes the learning process more interactive. We have 65 videos to complement this new initiative. We made videos for Earth Science, Life Science, Chemistry, Physical Science and Technology. It was a huge undertaking, but the results are phenomenal. Videos were released into classrooms in late 2010.

Possibly our best series yet, we have 80 videos intended for grades K-2 and 3-5. We divided the series between these two different age groups, tailoring the content for each level. Every video begins in the Untamed Science Clubhouse, and we receive a question from a student. We answer the question through research in the clubhouse, an adventure field trip, an experiment, and a fun music video. Here are some examples of those music videos:

The 15-member board gathered last month in Austin to give final approval to new science and math textbooks and related online instructional materials. Any hope the board would complete its heavy workload without its religiously conservative members sparking another battle over the teaching of evolution was dashed when it came time to discuss alleged errors in a biology textbook published by Pearson Education.

Pearson stood firm that its book was scientifically sound and free of error. Its written challenge to the alleged errors should have settled the matter and led to a final vote on the textbook. Instead, the board voted to have three of its members choose three outside experts to go over the textbook. The experts are to report back after a month whether the book contains errors as alleged.

Dr. Boorse joined Gordon College in 1999 and has worked to bring a greater understanding of the complex interactions among wildlife and the environment to the Gordon Community and the wider world. Her primary research interests are in aquatic community ecology and invasive species. Dorothy also spends a great deal of time studying the integration of faith and science, particularly in the realm of environmental ethics. In the past several years, her time has been devoted to authoring a major environmental science textbook and furthering conversation in faith communities about environmental Stewardship.

Additional Courses: Biology Senior Seminar, Special Topics in Environmental Science, Nutrition, Introduction to Public Health, Introduction to Research in Biology, Controversial Issues in Environmental Science, Biology/Biochemistry and Faith

Boorse, D. 2018. Creation Care and Environmental Justice: Closing the Concern Gap in the Area of Climate Change. Talk at annual meeting of the American Scientific Affiliation. July 30, 2018 Colorado School of Mines, Colorado.

Textbook:

Dr. Boorse is a co-author of Environmental Science published by Pearson, a textbook written with Gordon professor emeritus Richard Wright and more recently with Dr. Jeff Ploegstra of Dordt College.

Boorse, D., L. Anderson, C. Shore, K. Wilson, T. Ackerman, G. Carey. J. Lyon. 2011. Loving the Least of These: Addressing a Changing Environment. National Association of Evangelicals. Washington, DC. 48 pp

Christian Garzon, Michael Lero, Ryan Williamson*, Stephen Cooper, Emily Ryan and Dorothy Boorse. 2016. Effect of Vernal Pool Calcium Concentration on Amphibian Egg Masses. Poster at the 2016 Undergraduate Research Symposium April 27, 2016

Trevor V. Mattos, Miranda Adams MacKinnon & Dorothy F. Boorse 2012. The Intersection of Gender, Education and Health: A Community-level Survey of Education and Health Outcomes for Women in Southeastern Togo. Hii Dunia is an on-line journal of development research.

Zimmerman, R. & D. Boorse. 2009. The Effects of Dissolved Oxygen and Canopy Cover on Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) Egg Mass Abundance. poster presented by student at Undergraduate Research Symposium Bridgewater State College, Nov 15, 2009.

Schetne, M. and D. Boorse 2008. The Effect of mammal Burrow Density of Egg Mass Abundance of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in Vernal Pools. poster at Gordon College Undergraduate Research Symposium.

Schetne, M. and D. Boorse 2008. Velvet Bean and Landslides: A case study of the abonera cover cropping system in Honduras and the complications of conflicting perspectives. Honors research and poster at Gordon College Undergraduate Research Symposium.

I am aware of the question How much do Springer-Verlag authors make per book sold? but answers there focused on royalties (i.e., data on number of sold books is missing), and the question was on Springer-Verlag only.

I am most interested in the computer science field (machine learning and natural language processing in particular), but I am curious about other fields as well. I am most interested in the United States but curious about other countries as well.

For most authors, the important consideration is not how much money they will make, but how effectively the publisher will be able to distribute the book. This usually means going with a well-established publisher. I know some highly-respected authors that also shop around to find the publisher that will distribute their book for the lowest reasonable price.

As a postdoc, I was signed up with Springer to write a book together with my advisor. According to the terms of the contract, our only recompense would have been one copy each of the finished book. The book never got finished anyway.

I was also asked recently to contribute a chapter for a book to be published by a university press. I declined when I realised that they were asking authors (including the editor) to pay a hefty publication fee, even though they had a guarranteed market (two profs would be using it as a text) and would also be charging students for the finished book, with no royalties back to authors.

According to the National Association of College Stores, out of every dollar spent on a textbook, about 77 cents goes back to the publisher. Publishers make 18 cents in pure profit. The writer takes home about 12 cents. This does not consider the gravy bookstores take in on buying and selling used books, where they keep all the difference, and can sell a used book for $30 until the binding falls apart. Then, they can sell it for $25 as a loose-leaf edition.

Four publishers control 80 percent of the $14 billion textbook market. They are Pearson, Cengage, Wiley and McGraw-Hill. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, textbook prices have risen 800 percent since 1978, which is way beyond inflation. For comparison, health care has inflated 575 percent and home prices have gone up 325 percent. From 2002 to 2012 the cost of textbooks rose 82 percent. The textbook market is a $14 billion industry.

Personal experiences here: the authors/editors generally get 10-15% of sales revenue. Note this is sales revenue. If the publisher e.g. offers a discount, authors also get less royalties. If the book is pirated, authors get nothing. Royalties are split between all authors/editors.

Textbooks: An undergraduate textbook can sell tens of thousands of copies or more if it's widely adopted, but if not then 1000 copies or fewer is common. Graduate-level textbooks have sales more in line with monographs (albeit somewhat higher).

Review volumes: Chapter authors can receive something too during contract negotiations - my experience was that chapter authors get a copy of the book but that's it. Review volumes don't tend to sell many copies - definitely not more than 1000, and closer to monographs than to textbooks.

Popular-level books: These can sell 1000+ copies if they're reasonably well written, but the median is lower at maybe 500-600. There's a long tail as well - a book can sell millions of copies (c.f. Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time). Note popular level books usually have a significantly lower retail price compared to the more technical books.

Before the Court for the public interest determination required by the Tunney Act is a proposed final judgment giving effect to the terms of an antitrust consent decree between and among the United States Government, Pearson plc, Pearson Inc., and Viacom International, Inc. It appears, upon examination in light of the violations charged in the complaint, that the terms of the decree are not ambiguous, that the proposed enforcement mechanism is adequate, that third parties will not be "positively injured," and that the decree does not make a mockery of judicial power. The final judgment is accordingly approved.

Pearson and Viacom entered into an agreement for Pearson's purchase of certain educational publishing businesses from Viacom. The Department of Justice objected to the transaction, taking the position that the acquisition of businesses engaged in the marketing, development and sale of elementary school science materials and textbooks used in over thirty college-level courses would substantially lessen competition in the identified markets and result in "schools and students paying higher prices for textbooks and other educational materials, a reduction in the value or quantity of ancillary materials received by students and teachers, and a reduction in the support services offered," in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act (15 U.S.C. 18 (1994)). (Complaint filed November 23, 1998, at 2.)

The consent decree proposed by the parties resolves the government's antitrust objections by requiring Pearson to divest certain product lines in the identified market areas to other viable competitors. The transaction contemplated by the consent decree has indeed already been consummated, and Pearson has already sold, with the government's approval, nearly all of the assets covered by the proposed consent decree. These steps were taken immediately after the filing of the proposed consent decree and without awaiting Tunney *45 Act approval. Nevertheless, the Tunney Act (Antitrust Procedures and Penalties Act, codified as 15 U.S.C. 16(a)-(i) (1994)) requires that, before this fait accompli can be blessed by the entry of a final judgment, it must be found to be in the public interest.

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