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f t is widely acknowledged in the Australian book industry that ebooks and students never made any progress in teaching and learning without the
| ,r. no, b.ing ,dop,.i by the reading public as quickly as the hype aid of an Apple product.
Isuggests, and rhis is particularly true o[the campus sector. Clever marketing aside, AUC no doubt oflers many enhancements
\While the price and mobiliry o[ etextbooks are major drawcards, lor to the universiry learning experience, while simultaneously rendering its
various reasons, including the cost of ereading devices, ingrained study products indispensible. However, with enough market share, Apple will be
habits and concerns around open-book exams, students have been reluctant in a position to make demands on the Australian publishing industry, and
to jump on board. there are some who are already warning against a late similar to that of the
Textbook publishers have been testing the waters by bundling ebooks music industry, which Apple now dominates, with over half of the market
with textbooks, but the question most often heard by savings-hungry share for paid music downloads.
students is 'is this cheaper without the ebook?' instead of the other way At this stage, Applet iBookstore is still in a preliminary stage lor
around. However, no-one doubts that this will change in the luture as the etextbooks, with one bookshop manager pointing our rhar many titles are
technology creates new learning opportunities that cannot be replicated in currently unavailable, but its movements in the industry will be observed
the printed product. with interest.
Universities are starting to take seriously what is perceived to be an
inevitable digital shift. This year Adelaide Universiry gave each ofits first-year
science students an iPad. This sudden infux of new technolory Forced
Adelaide Unibooks to deal with a variery of ebook distribution issues in
(a?* r anytimes can a
order to maintain sales, but manager Tim Newman reports that the campus
bookseller was able to utilise its 'strong buying nerworks' to stock a range oF
price- and technology-
science textbooks solely in ebook format, thus remaining competitive.
savvy student be directed
APPLE NOTTHE ONLY FRUIT
'$fhile having
ebook functionality programmed into the Unibooks'website
is part of a luture strategy, Newman says it is currently not cost-effective to
to a publisher's ebook or
do so as there are so many ereader and publisher platforms to cater to.
\(4rile the iPad is being trialled at a number of universiry locations, as
echapter site before they
more devices with similar capabilities appear on the market, there will be
r greater demand For booksellers to provide cross-device capabilities. go direct?
6 As Co-op Bookshop digital strategy manager John Gaspar points out,
'lecturers areni going to want to be pigeon-holed', and since the key
c PUBLISHERS DOIN' IT FOR THEMSELVES?
motivation is providing students with information, lecturers aren't going Apple is not the only large company gaining the attention of the industry.
to want to use inFormation that isn't available to the students with other Despite the recent ACCC finding that Pearsont acquisition of REDgroups
devices, such the Android platform.
online business is 'unlikely to result in a substantial lessening of competition'
The iPad currently dominates the tablet market, and Apple seems to in the book industry, many textbook retailers are still warily watching the
+ be solidi$'ing its position by becoming indispensible to universities. The
publisher's next moves.
Apple Universiry Consortium (AUC), which boasts a membership of well Pearsont recent pricing restructure, which meant that from May this year
over 30 universities in Australia, consistently promotes iPads, Macbooks it supplied all Pearson products on a'net price basis'-forcing bookshops to
and other Apple products to the universir/ communiry. One example is its
set their own margins on textbooks by removing the RRP-raised a few
quarterly magazine \Yheels for the Mind, which includes features on 'new eyebrows among campus booksellers. 'While the Co-opt John Gaspar says
Apple products' and'case studies on specific tools used to create solutions'
alongside more general arricles. Reading it, one would think that lecturers
he's 'not really concerned' by the move, Wollongong Unishop manager

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Silvana Naumovski says there is a general perception among campus
booksellers that publishers are 'doing their own thing'.
Pearson has declined ro comment, and itt fair to say that because a lot of
technology is still in the development stages, publishers are naturally hesitant
to divulge much of their straregy.
Naumovski highlights Cengage Learning as one publisher rhat has senr a
strong message to booksellers that it is committed to working rogether. The
publisher has recently launched CengageBrain: a single,destination website
for print textbooks, ebooks, single echapters and study tools. Booksellers
can offer ebooks for sale through an affiliate model or integrated with their
print-book catalogue, and a number of campus bookshops are currendy
trialling Cengage's platform. Gaspar views the platform as a good model, as
it provides different ways ofsupplying print books as ebooks.
One ofthe biggest concerns for retailers is that, with an increase in ebooks
supplied direcdy from publisher sites, bookshops will be cut out of the
supply chain. One bookshop manager asked, how many times can a price-
and technology-savr1' student be directed to a publishert ebook or echapter
site before they go direct?
The Co-op Boolahop, which represents over 40 branches nationally,
is currently trialling a number of different ebook platforms, as with'so many
stores and lecturers, to limit to one would reduce options for students',
says Gasper.
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The Co-op currently offers a range 9f digital material from CengageBrain
and software access sire VitalSource through its own website, and has an
affiliate program with iTirnes. Gaspar acknowledges'some success with these
first partnerships' and is working ro increase the Co-opt ebook capabilities.
Campus bookshops who use the Booknet system have the luxury of
waiting to see what develops, and then having the functionality programmed
into their systems en masse, making the upgrade to new technology a much
more cost-effecrive venture. \flhile integration has not yet taken place, Mark
Halliday of UNS\f Bookshop is confident that campus bookshops will be able
to provide ebooks as the market demands it-and says campus booksellers are
keeping a keen eye on both publisher developments and student demands.
It remains to be seen which sales models and platforms will have longeviry
in an industry where technology is creating more learning oprions for
lecturers and students, and more distribution opportunities and challenges
for booksellers and publishers than ever before.
Inevitably, it will be the students who will direct the market, driven by
an ever-increasing choice ofebooks, ereaders and digital learning add-ons.
Vhile at the moment students are srill overwhelmingly in favour of print
textbooks, some campus booksellers are predicting a much larger shift as
early as semester one next year, ffi
Portia Lindsay ruork at UNS\V Boohshop
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