Not too long ago I wrote about books with companion websites (3/31/06).  Today I learned about custom book publishing.  No, this isn't about the vanity press business. 

Instead of buying a textbook for a few of the 12 chapters that match the curriculum, teachers can custom publish only those that they need.  Sounds like a great idea.  On second thought, since I live in a metro area that includes a bunch of Kansas counties, do I now have to worry about teachers custom publishing books sans any chapters on evolution?  Not so good.

You can read about academic uses of custom publishing in an article by John Blossom and Robin Good. 

"O'Reilly, one of the most innovative and successful technical publishers in the industry, has just announced its launching of the newest version of SafariU, a fully Web-based custom publishing platform allowing educators to create custom computer science and information technology textbooks and course materials by bringing together existing quality content already licensed by O'Reilly. "  Other publishers' books that can be drawn upon include Prentice Hall PTR and Addison Wesley.

 

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