The cost of textbooks and other learning materials The cost of textbooks and course materials remains a strong determining factor in the purchase decision for most students. According to Bowker’s pubtrack data, the average textbook price in Higher Education for 2010 was $104.14.4 This means that the average price has risen more than 24% since 2005 (from $83.73). With digital textbooks from many publishers continuing to sell for 50% of print textbook prices, students are turning to digital solutions as a lower-priced alternative. Also, we continue to see the importance of alternative, digital-first publishing initiatives such as Flat World Knowledge and Textbook Media. These companies have much lower operating costs and are gaining adoption inroads with digital textbooks ranging from $0-$25. There is no reason to anticipate a drop in the price of print textbooks in the near future but we expect the average price of digital products to decrease over the next 2–3 years. This gap in pricing will provide aggressive stimulus for the sales of digital textbooks.