Along with the rising costs of tuition, college students need to worry about the high cost of textbooks, which cost them hundres of dollars each year. The costs may seem excessive, but unfortunately, books are required by most professors.
Though it may seem that the bookstore is the one making all the money, in reality, most of the money goes to the publisher, who makes around 65% .  This leaves the author receiving about 12% and the bookstore with 4%.
Professors choose which books for their classes, and are fully aware of the burden expensive textbooks place on their students.  Most of them will try and pick textbooks that are the most cost effective.
The pricing is based on several factors.  Books for popular subjects are generally less expensive.  Required texts for specialized fields, will cost more.  Textbooks that require a lot of research are going to cost more as well.  Adding to the price tag, are quizzes, photos, charts, and graphs.
Knowing ahead of time, which books you are going to need, can save a lot of money.  Ordering textbooks online, will save money.  If you don’t have time to shop around for a good price, the next best thing is to get to the bookstore early and buy your textbooks used.   Buying used will save you a fair amount of money and they are usually in very good shape.
When the term is over, you can return your books to the bookstore.  You won’t get anywhere near what you paid for them, but you’ll get a little something.  You may do better by selling you books to other students.  Doing this will benefit both you and the person you sell them to.  If you bought your books online, you can resell them online as well.  You can’t avoid buying books, but with a little effort, you can save money.