Prices of EFL textbooks to drop?
There are strong rumours that, perhaps due to the 100 day sit in and short hunger strike of students on London’s Oxford Street protesting the price of books, the latest edition of the Headway series of textbooks (official title “Latest Updated Newer Edition of New Headway”, unofficial title “Now That’s What I Call Headway 7″) will be priced substantially lower than previous editions at only 5 pounds 99 pence. There will also be an even larger collection than usual of extras and special editions:
Special Edition of the textbook with room to write the answers in: 7 pounds 99
Special Proofread Edition: 8 pounds 99
Workbook basic edition (limited availability): 4 pounds 99
Workbook with CD, CD ROM, DVD, and holographic 3D pages with accompanying glasses (perhaps to prevent piracy?): 49 pounds 99
basic Workbook with answer key: 7 pounds 99
basic Workbook with proofread answer key: 9 pounds 99
basic Workbook with answer key that tells you something useful, rather than just the fact that you got something wrong: 11 pounds 99
Class CD: 30 pounds
Class CD with proper Australian and American accents rather than unconvincing attempts by out-of-work British actors: 60 pounds
Class CD with original versions of songs rather than cheesy Country and Western versions: 300 pounds
As above but without Eric Clapton songs: 350 pounds
As above, but version that doesn’t try to install software every time you try to play it on your computer: 400 pounds
Teacher’s book: 17 pounds 99
Teacher’s book that says “Students’ Book” on the outside, so that students can’t see that the teacher hasn’t read the text before class and doesn’t know the answers to the questions: a bargain at 35 pounds 99
Photocopiable resource book: 27 pounds 50
Photocopiable resource book without the special chip that causes the photocopier to break down if you do more than 5 copies (secretly installed in all editions up to now to stop piracy): 54 pounds
IWB (interactive whiteboard) software: 700 pounds
IWB that the software actually works properly on: 7000 pounds
It’s a bright new future in TEFL, I’m telling yer! If you have heard any rumours of other special editions of textbooks or other ELT publishing movements, please let me know by comment here or by email
May 10th, 2009 at 7:16 am
As a coursebook author who secretly harbours a desire to be as successful as the Soars your post title caught my and caused me great distress. However, seeing all the components you list here gives me hope as there is bound to be lots of writing work in the near future!
May 11th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
Poor Lindsay – ah love, give it up and go work for the IWB people – kidding ;-).
Alex, you forgot the Kindle, opensourced textbook, price. €12,99 any takers? And Alex, don’t tell me you don’t know what a Kindle is.
xx K
May 12th, 2009 at 10:18 am
How much for the edition that doesn’t have a pic of Liz and John on the front cover drinking champagne while lounging atop a huge pile of money?