As if the college student isn't burden enough with the cost of higher education, he also has to worry about the excessive cost of college textbooks. The average college student spends hundreds of dollars on textbooks each year.

The assumption is that the bookstore is making a killing off of the poor starving students. But in reality, the bookstores only make about 4 cents on the dollar in profit for every college textbook sold. Most of the money goes to the publisher, upwards of 65% of the cost of the textbook, with the author receiving around 12%.

Book selection is made by the professors and I do believe they are aware of the financial burden facing their students and try their best to choose college textbooks that will be most cost effective, balanced out of course by the textbook that best serves the instruction.

The cost of college textbooks is based on the content and the expected distribution. The amount of research required including academic review and fact-checking is taken into account. Also the bigger the audience, the lower the cost. Books on general subjects are going to cost less than those that are more specialized. Adding to the cost of college textbooks are photos, graphs, exercises and quizzes.

Check with your professor before purchasing the textbook for a class. Occasionally the instructor may change his mind and decide not to use it. If you do buy a college textbook, then find out you don't need it, or you drop the class, most bookstores will let you return the textbook for a full refund the first week or two of the term.

Check with the bookstore and keep track of the dates given to return textbooks for refunds. Also keep your receipt. In most cases it is necessary in order to return textbooks. This doesn't apply at the end of the year when the book store is buying back textbooks.

Save money by buying used college textbooks whenever possible. There is usually a limit to the number of used books available, so the sooner you purchase your textbooks the better chance you have of getting a used one.

Many universities and college will put copies of the more expensive textbooks, usually the ones costing over $100.00, in the library. If you just can't spend the money and you are able to do your homework in the library, this is an option. Also, sharing college textbooks is a good way to save a little money if you have a friend taking the same class, and live close enough to share the book.

Many university bookstores have a website and offer the option to reserve your books prior to the term starting. Reserving books gives you first chance at any used copies that may be available.

The bookstore will buy back most textbooks at the end of each term. The buyback price is quite low, but it may be worth it if the book will no longer be of any use to you. You can also sell textbooks directly to other students by word of mouth or by posting them on university bulletin boards.

English majors studying the classics may be able to find online sources for some of the required reading. Sites like Project Gutenburg have book titles available for downloading.

Over the last several years online book sellers have started selling textbooks. These online sellers sell new and used versions of many of the required academic textbooks. The advantage of buying online is the ability to research and find the best deals. The downside is that you will have to pay shipping. Shipping rates for books, however are less than the rates for other shippable items. Once you are registered into a class, you can email your professor and get the title of the required textbook. If you do this early enough you will get it in plenty of time for the first day of class.

Returning an unneeded book is not as easy when you buy online. You will most likely be expect to pay shipping again for sending the book back. However many online sources do pay for shipping. This comes in handy at the end of the term when it's time to sell your textbooks. With a little research, you will often get more money back when reselling to an online source than to your university bookstore. It's not as convenient as walking into the bookstore and getting cash in hand, but if you don't mine going through a bit of work, you man be rewarded with a bigger payout in the end.

Things to keep in mind

• Make sure you are buying the correct edition.
• Order in plenty of time to get the book before the term starts.
• Know the shipping charges before you order.
• Check to make sure that you can return the book if necessary.

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