We Interrupt This Textbook to Sell You a Pizza...

Over the last 20 years, college textbook prices have risen twice the rate of inflation, according to an August 2005 study by the government Accountability Office.

Every college teacher in captivity (and a few out in the wild) knows that textbooks cost too much. But generally, not a lot is done about this sad situation. However, things may be about to change.

Freeload Press is publishing textbooks in ebook format, selling ads at the beginning and end of chapters, and giving away the downloads to students who have gone through the free registration process on the web site. Currently, Freeload's titles are almost all in business and finance (no Mass Comm titles that this humble blogger could sniff out). Teachers at some colleges are using these texts, according to a recent Christian Science Monitor article.

Interesting, but there are a few questions (besides the ones asked in class) that occurred to this blogger/educator:

•Do Freeload Press books go through the same editing and peer review process that traditional textbooks do?
•What policies are in place to make sure that the viewpoints of the advertisers don't influence the textbooks that get the green light versus those that are given a red light?
•What does Freeload Press do with the personal information it collects from students during the registration process?