Generating Revenue from Textbook Sales Guidelines

Principles:


1. Textbooks and other teaching materials should be chosen entirely for their academic and pedagogical value. It is recognized that sometimes there is no single, obvious, outstanding textbook choice, and that factors such as availability and price, as well as academic content, can influence textbook selection, but primacy in the selection process should always be given to academic and related pedagogical concerns.
2. To avoid even the appearance of conflict of interest, Liberal Arts instructors should not profit personally from their power to select (or to influence the selection of) course materials used in the College. Royalties may come to the College, department, or program, and be used for normal academic purposes, but instructors should not profit personally through royalties from copies of their books that are assigned for courses within their department or other Penn State courses where they have influence over book selection. Similarly, instructors, course coordinators, etc., should not receive payments or other gratuities from publishers for adopting a book, or from copy shops for directing business their way. (Note: This College principle is intended to be clear for our purposes. University policy may be confusing, since AD46, Policy Governing Copyright Clearance, prohibits such payments, while AD17, Royalty Payments for Course Materials, permits them under certain circumstances.)

3. For academic and/or pedagogical reasons; the department or program may decide to develop its own textbook or workbook or other course materials. These may be produced just for Penn State students via a copy center, printer, or similar vendor (but not sold by the academic unit or instructor directly to students, which is against University policy). Or, course materials developed by the department or program may be contracted to a publisher, including our University Press, which publishes and markets them both here and elsewhere. Royalties received from the sale at other universities of materials created at Penn State should go to the creating unit. Faculty, graduate students, or other Penn State personnel who develop these materials can be paid supplemental compensation or given released time from teaching. Course materials developed as part of a developer’s regular University assignment are considered work for hire and do not bring royalties or copyright to the creators.