The New Business Model for College Textbooks

Once we solve the newspaper problem, K-12 textbooks is next on the agenda. Hint: It's about turning K-12 textbooks into wikibooks and wikinewspapers and printernet publishing.

Free advice to Xerox
Consider mashing up MPS in education. Then printing wikibooks and wiki newsletters for learning in CRD's. And if there is overflow, give it to independent OPM/VARs (PSPs). So if the problem is education, let Xerox be the solution. This also works for Ricoh/IBM and OCE and independent MPS, but Xerox has the clear advantage.

Anyway, here's the College Textbook model. The VAR is FlatWorldKnowledge.com. I still don't know who is doing the print OPM piece.

We preserve the best of the old – textbooks by leading experts.
Then we flip it on its head.
Our books cost $0 online. We provide paperbacks, audio books, and self-print versions for under $30. Our books are open for you to edit for your class. Our new editions are on your terms. We publish them - you decide if and when to use them.

Flat World Knowledge. Because great minds are evenly distributed. Great textbooks are not. Until Now.

And, as always, money is on the prowl.

New York VC: Flat World Knowledge:
Much has been written over the last year about the imminent demise of the $40 billion print newspaper industry at the hands of digital media. At Greenhill SAVP we believe the newspaper industry is just the tip of the iceberg and that conditions are in place right now for disruptive and rapid acceleration of other print content to all web-based or web/print hybrid content solutions. College textbooks are near the top of the list. Let me explain why. . . .