The print version of American Environmental History has a list price of $17.50, although Amazon sells it for $14.18 right now. People who aren't in my class can buy it or they can read the free ebook version on the Open Textbook Library. Similarly, the print version of How to Make Notes and Write is $12.50 on Amazon and free as an ebook on the OTL.
At one point Houghton-Mifflin allowed us to write a Primer on the topic of Technology in the Classroom. It could be purchased as a stand alone, but they saw it as a shrink wrap with another textbook - say educational psychology. This was at a time when technology was new and it probably made sense then. My idea was to do something closer to what you are considering. Develop a Primer for $29 and the provide online resources to extend the Primer in multiple ways into different grade levels relevant to teachers preparing for elementary, secondary and topics STEM, writing, etc.
The print version of American Environmental History has a list price of $17.50, although Amazon sells it for $14.18 right now. People who aren't in my class can buy it or they can read the free ebook version on the Open Textbook Library. Similarly, the print version of How to Make Notes and Write is $12.50 on Amazon and free as an ebook on the OTL.
At one point Houghton-Mifflin allowed us to write a Primer on the topic of Technology in the Classroom. It could be purchased as a stand alone, but they saw it as a shrink wrap with another textbook - say educational psychology. This was at a time when technology was new and it probably made sense then. My idea was to do something closer to what you are considering. Develop a Primer for $29 and the provide online resources to extend the Primer in multiple ways into different grade levels relevant to teachers preparing for elementary, secondary and topics STEM, writing, etc.
What about inexpensive content as an alternative to OER? What would you set as a reasonable price for a digital history book?