Editing Textbook (section)

=== Open textbooks ===
{{main|Open textbook}}
The latest trend in textbooks is "open textbooks". An [[open textbook]] is a free, openly licensed textbook offered online by the copyright holders.  According to PIRG, a number of textbooks already exist, and are being used at schools such as MIT and Harvard.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Open Textbooks: Catalog |url=https://studentpirgs.org/open-textbooks-catalog/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=Student PIRGs |language=en-US}}</ref> A 2010 study published found that open textbooks offer a viable and attractive means to meet faculty and student needs while offering savings of approximately 80% compared to traditional textbook options.<ref name="ReferenceB"/>

Although the largest question seems to be who is going to pay to write them, several state policies suggest that public investment in open textbooks might make sense.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AB 2261 Assembly Bill – INTRODUCED |url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2251-2300/ab_2261_bill_20080221_introduced.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304135209/http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/07-08/bill/asm/ab_2251-2300/ab_2261_bill_20080221_introduced.html |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=23 April 2016}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=February 2009}} To offer another perspective{{Citation needed|date=July 2009}}, any jurisdiction might find itself challenged to find sufficient numbers of credible academics who would be willing to undertake the effort of creating an open textbook without realistic compensation, to make such a proposal work. Currently, some open textbooks have been funded with non-profit investment.

The other challenge involves the reality of publishing, which is that textbooks with good sales and profitability subsidize the creation and publication of low demand but believed to be necessary textbooks.{{Citation needed|date=March 2009}}  Subsidies skew markets and the elimination of subsidies is disruptive; in the case of low demand textbooks the possibilities following subsidy removal include any or all of the following: higher retail prices, a switch to open textbooks, a reduction of the number of titles published.

On the other hand, independent open textbook authoring and publishing models are developing.  Most notably, the startup publisher [[Flat World Knowledge]] already has dozens of college-level open textbooks that are used by more than 900 institutions in 44 countries.<ref>[http://pressitt.com/smnr/Flat-World-Knowledge-President-Eric-Frank-Addresses-Oregon-Legislators-on-Solving-Textbook-Affordability-/3569/ Flat World Knowledge President Eric Frank Addresses Oregon Legislators on Solving Textbook Affordability.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110223233038/http://pressitt.com/smnr/Flat-World-Knowledge-President-Eric-Frank-Addresses-Oregon-Legislators-on-Solving-Textbook-Affordability-/3569/ |date=23 February 2011 }} Pressitt. 21 February 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=20 August 2009 |title=Open-source textbook co. Flat World goes back to school with 40,000 new customers |url=https://venturebeat.com/business/open-source-textbook-co-flat-world-blasts-goes-back-to-school-with-40000-new-customers/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=VentureBeat |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/150000-College-Students-Save-12-Million-Using-Flat-World-Knowledge-Open-Textbooks-2010-1307980.htm |title=150,000 College Students Save $12 Million Using Flat World Knowledge Open Textbooks |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101124212525/http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/150000-College-Students-Save-12-Million-Using-Flat-World-Knowledge-Open-Textbooks-2010-1307980.htm |archive-date=2010-11-24 |website=Marketwire |date=2010-08-23}}</ref> Their business model<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flat World Knowledge: Open College Textbooks |url=https://opensource.com/education/10/2/flat-world-knowledge-open-college-textbooks-disrupting-traditional-textbook-publishin |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=opensource.com |language=en |first=Sanford |last=Forte}}</ref> was to offer the open textbook free online,<ref>[http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/organizational-behavior-v1.1/141350#pdf-1 Organizational Behavior v1.1] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110405154150/http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/organizational-behavior-v1.1/141350 |date=5 April 2011 }} by Talya Bauer & Berrin Erdogan. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge. 2010. (Free online open textbook format sample – PDF view)</ref><ref>[http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/introduction-psychology/296056#web-296056 Introduction to Psychology] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110407103338/http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/introduction-psychology/296056 |date=7 April 2011 }} by Charles Stangor. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge. 2010. (Free online open textbook format sample – web view)</ref> and then sell ancillary products that students are likely to buy if prices are reasonable – print copies, study guides, [[ePub]], .Mobi ([[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]]), [[PDF]] download, etc. Flat World Knowledge compensates its authors with [[royalties]] on these sales.<ref>See [http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/authors Flat World Knowledge's website] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120730204416/http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/authors |date=30 July 2012 }}</ref> With the generated revenue Flat World Knowledge funded high-quality publishing activities with a goal of making the Flat World financial model sustainable. However, in January 2013 Flat World Knowledge announced their financial model could no longer sustain their free-to-read options for students.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Flat World is Moving from Free to Fair on January 1, 2013 |url=http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/free2fair |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120205043/http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/free2fair |archive-date=20 January 2013 |access-date=17 February 2013}} Flat World Knowledge Website.</ref> Flat World Knowledge intends to have open textbooks available for the 125 highest-enrolled courses on college campuses within the next few years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flat World Knowledge Gets $15 Million in Funding |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial-reporting/article/45842-flat-world-knowledge-gets-15-million-in-funding.html |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=Publishers Weekly |language=en}}</ref>

[[CK-12 Foundation|CK-12]] [[Flexbook]]s are the open textbooks designed for United States K-12 courses.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=CK12-Foundation |url=https://www.ck12.org/student/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=ck12.org}}</ref> CK-12 FlexBooks are designed to facilitate conformance to national and United States and individual state textbook standards. CK-12 FlexBooks are licensed under a [[Creative Commons]] [[BY-NC-SA]] license. CK-12 FlexBooks are free to use online and offer formats suitable for use on portable personal reading devices and computers – both online and offline. Formats for both [[iPad]] and [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]] are offered. School districts may select a title as is or customize the open textbook to meet local instructional standards. The file may be then accessed electronically or printed using any [[print on demand]] service without paying a royalty, saving 80% or more when compared to traditional textbook options. An example print on demand open textbook title, "College Algebra" by Stitz & Zeager through Lulu is 608 pages, royalty free, and costs about $20 ordered one at a time (March 2011).<ref>[http://ohiotextbookhq.ning.com/page/carl-stitzjeff-zeager Carl Stitz/Jeff Zeager on Ohio Textbook HQ] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714184158/http://ohiotextbookhq.ning.com/page/carl-stitzjeff-zeager |date=14 July 2011 }} 2010.</ref> ''(Any print on demand service could be used – this is just an example. School districts could easily negotiate even lower prices for bulk purchases to be printed in their own communities.)'' Teacher's editions are available for educators and parents. Titles have been authored by various individuals and organizations and are vetted for quality prior to inclusion in the CK-12 catalog. An effort is underway to map state educational standards correlations.<ref>{{Cite web |title=State, National, and Common Core Standards Correlations &#124; CK-12 Foundation |url=https://www.ck12info.org/standards-reports/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=ck12info.org}}</ref> [[Stanford University]] provided a number of titles in use.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ck12.org/book/human-biology-genetics/ |title=Human Biology - Genetics |date=2016 |access-date=2023-04-12 |website=CK-12 Foundation}}</ref>

[[Curriki]] is another modular K-12 content non-profit "empowering educators to deliver and share curricula." Selected Curriki materials are also correlated to U.S. state educational standards.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Curriki – Shaping the Future of Learning |url=https://www.curriki.org/ |access-date=20 February 2023 |website=curriki.org}}</ref> Some Curriki content has been collected into open textbooks and some may be used for modular lessons or special topics.