As reported by the BBC, Pearson currently makes 20% of its revenues from selling courseware in the US, where students have increasingly been opting to rent second-hand print textbooks to save money. Now, Pearson have said they will no longer revise print textbooks every three years.
The British firm hopes the move will make more students buy its e-textbooks which are updated continually. In 2020 Pearson will only update 100 of its 1500 titles in print - down from 500 in 2019. The strategy will begin in the US and roll out to the UK and other territories.
The move to digital-only raises issues for accessibility, the tech disadvantaged and perhaps will encourage a move to open educational resources.