How to Buy E-Textbooks 101

Popular quiz: do college students prefer digital textbooks or the good old-fashioned paper versions? It depends on who you ask.

In 2022, research constitute that students with iPads were split 50-fifty on whether they liked their tablet or paper books better. A further written report by the Academy of Washington showed a quarter of students who got gratuitous e-textbooks yet bought the paper versions.

But e-textbooks have their benefits. Higher textbook costs rose 87.5 percent between 2006 and 2022, outpacing even tuition and fee increases, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Higher Board suggests undergraduate students at four-yr, in-state schools for the 2022-2017 school year budget as much as $1,250 a year for books and supplies. Usa PIRG, a public interest research group, finds that "65 percent of students said that they had decided against buying a textbook because information technology was besides expensive" and 82 percent believe they'd practice amend if the textbook was free online. Switching to open-source books can save equally much as $128 per course, according to Bloomberg Business organisation, or as much as a billion dollars a year.

Some customs colleges accept developed curricula specifically to cut costs by using open up education resource, maybe even bundling the price of texts with the tuition. The difference between open and regular eastward-texts is that while e-text from big publishers may be cheaper, they withal have lots of rules and limitations; open texts are much more affordable and accessible, simply not necessarily vetted by the admins and educators. Services specializing in open up texts and courses include Lumen Learning, OpenStax, Saylor University, and MERLOT II.

Saylor Academy

Information technology doesn't assistance when major textbook publishers pursue practices they say are to preclude counterfeit textbooks, but nigh others run across as a fashion to keep the prices high. Some have fifty-fifty sued students who legally bought physical textbooks overseas and brought them to the US—but thankfully even SCOTUS didn't side with that ridiculousness.

Publishers are feeling the contemptuousness. Pearson, one of the major textbook publishers, had the biggest loss in its history in 2022. Wiley had similar issues due to shrinking textbook sales. (Both accept launched online libraries and courses as a solution.)

And then maybe it's time to ditch the papyrus books for skillful. Just about every pupil has a tablet or ebook reader or laptop forth with their smartphones; all feel the pinch of higher costs. It'south conspicuously the (inexpensive) east-textbook's time. And so where does a thrifty student go to get the ebooks he or she needs at prices that won't deplete all the funds for beer cultural events on campus? The primal is to shop around. Not every online book shop has every single obscure text you may demand or desire, especially in an electronic edition, so embrace multiple platforms and apps to salvage money. That'due south because there are several major vendors vying to be your digital college bookstore of choice.

Hither's where to become to get the digital-based tomes that volition teach.

The Large Stores

Amazon

There are a number of ways to save on a broad selection of e-textbooks with Amazon'south Kindle platform. First, join Prime number Pupil, an analog of Amazon Prime that's free for the offset six months and then $49 per year—that'south half the price of Prime. This membership provides gratis two-day shipping, access to streaming movies and TV and music, and—of course—discounts on many print textbooks: upwards to xl per centum off some new print books, up to xc percent off some used books, and up to 70 pct off some textbook rentals.

Amazon Textbooks

If you go with Kindle due east-textbooks, it's 80 percent off the list price on rentals for 30 days, which you can extend any time; there are vii-day trials on purchases. Students tin besides trade in their print textbooks dorsum to Amazon, even if they were purchased elsewhere, for up to 80 percent of the purchase price. Due east-textbooks tin also be rented.

Amazon'south east-textbooks for the Kindle platform can be read on iPads, iPhones, Android devices, Mac and Windows PCs, and any Kindle device (preferably the colour Kindle Fires, as the e-ink screen of standard Kindles may not exist equally piece of cake to read if it's a total-colour book). There's likewise an "Xray for Kindle" feature on some books—a "smart glossary" that provides links to extra content—and a wink cards characteristic to quiz yourself. Yous accept seven days to render a Kindle e-textbook and the list of publishers is comprehensive.

Amazon isn't but waiting for students to come to its site, nevertheless. The mega-retailer has besides taken to helping the stores at several colleges with websites that provide limited aforementioned-day delivery of more than than merely books. They've also prepare "pickup center" lockers at some campuses, and a few even have full physical stores: Purdue Academy was Amazon's first staffed college store location in 2022, but it'southward since expanded to 17 others, though some are pick-upwardly only spots for online orders.

Some campuses are doing abroad with bookstore locations; for case, SUNY Stony Brook doesn't sell textbooks at all anymore in its store—it sends students to Amazon.com.

Apple iBooks

Apple tree works with major textbook publishers Houghton Mifflin, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson, plus some open-source providers like OpenStax, to offer textbooks on the iPad, sold via iBooks or iTunes. Because it's Apple tree, e-textbooks made with the iBooks Author publishing tool become extras like prototype galleries and fully rendered 3D images, but those are the exception. All e-textbooks on iPad get the ability to accept notes and highlight passages and share with your fellow students.

Apple iBooks-iTunes Textbooks

Apple also provides iTunes U, some other little iPad-centric educational resources that allows teachers to create and manage courses—and students—from the tablet. Everything needed for class is put in the hands of an iPad-wielding student (the app too works on iPhone).

Google Play

Google sells books to Android users via Google Play, and so it makes sense information technology would get into e-textbook sales equally well. Google has titles from the biggest educational publishers, including Houghton-Mifflin, Cengage, Wiley, Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Macmillan. Select eastward-textbooks are rentable.

Google Play Textbooks

Users are promised savings up to 80 percent off print prices (usually when renting), and can access the titles on any Android device using the Google Play Books app, on iOS devices, or on a PC.

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble is still chugging away, and sells textbooks upwardly to 90 percent off if yous rent or get them used. Of form, B&N will buy them back and provide free shipping if you purchase a print text over $25 (effort to find a textbook that costs less).

In 2022, B&Due north spun off Barnes & Noble Didactics (BNED)—the division behind the B&N stores on campuses that acted equally the college bookstore. BNED as well runs Barnes & Noble College, the sectionalisation that runs 769 concrete campus bookstores; it bought virtual bookstore operator MBS Textbook Exchange, so between the ii they run ane,490 physical and virtual bookstores for campuses.

BNED also includes Yuzu, a digital "learning platform" with apps for iOS and Android to let students read and annotate due east-textbooks. Information technology's affiliated with specific schools and promises up to lxxx percentage off e-texts. Simply exist aware: information technology is not universally loved.

E-Textbook Sellers/Renters

Boundless

You don't get an e-textbook from Boundless, just for $20 yous go a reasonable facsimile, created by essentially mapping open-source content that matches a textbook a educatee might be assigned. Certain, it's not the same info exactly, but information technology's close enough in most cases. (And then much so that Boundless got sued past many big-name textbook publishers upon its launch in 2022; it has since settled.) In 2022, the company was caused by Valore, itself an online textbook marketplace runner that promises 90 percent off select books and anyone can sell their used texts.

Chegg

Chegg's raison d'être is to sell and rent textbooks—e-textbooks and physical books—with prices every bit adept as 90 per centum off on used and eighty per centum off on rentals and e-texts. If you're not satisfied y'all can return newspaper textbooks within 21 days and east-textbooks within fourteen days costless of accuse. Shipping of impress books is free if you order $50 or more at a time; it sends pre-printed labels so you tin return physical books. Sell previously purchased textbooks to Chegg (the name is a contraction of chicken + egg) every bit needed.

Chegg

Chegg'due south e-textbooks are readable on the web for desktop or via Chegg's apps for iOS and Android. Information technology will even give you seven days of reading the east-textbook version of a concrete book you've purchased while you wait for delivery. It also hosts test prep for the ACT and Sat, offers a scholarship search engine, and provides tutors via text, audio, and video, to help with "homework" and assist in locating internships.

VitalSource

VitalSource (once chosen CourseSmart) has a great option of mobile apps and desktop options, a big selection that it claims encompasses 90 percent of the core books used in college ed, and prices upwards to 70 percent lower than the print versions when renting. The apps permit you to read offline, and most e-textbooks look identical to the print versions.

VitalSource

CourseSmart was originally co-founded by major textbooks makers Cengage, McGraw-Loma, Pearson, MacMillan, and John Wiley & Sons, and then integrated with the learning management systems at over 100 institutions. It was then acquired by VitalSource Technologies (hence the proper noun change), which is itself endemic by Ingram Content Grouping, which too works with Chegg.

Textbooks.com

With the best URL ever for selling textbooks, both impress and digital, Textbooks.com is for one thing and one matter only. It offers free shipping on orders of $25 and over, claims a warehouse of 10 million new and used tomes in stock, 30-24-hour interval return policy, and book buy-backs a plenty. A "50 pct cash back" guarantee on some texts will ever get you at least half the amount at buy-back—impress and e-textbooks. It besides promises you'll be able to read information technology on any device, be information technology a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop, using readers created past Textbooks.com or others. The one thing they don't offering: rentals.

RedShelf

The books from RedShelf are electronic-only. They offering a deject reader for browsers that works on any platform, so your book is bachelor anywhere—and you can nonetheless highlight passages or create flashcards. Whether y'all can read it offline or not is up to the publisher, merely information technology's possible.

CampusBooks

You don't purchase from CampusBooks. The site is a comparison shopping engine that helps you find the cheapest text or due east-text from 8 million titles found beyond a lot of book sellers. It offers a buy versus rent tool to help you determine which is best for your book-buying situation. It will even search local libraries to encounter if there is a free version you can infringe. Apps for iOS and Android will help yous find bargains while mobile.

Direct Textbook

If Directly Textbook looks similar to CampusBooks, that's considering it'southward also a search engine for eligible texts to buy and rent, plus helps you sell used books. Information technology has the added advantage of also searching for e-textbooks from the major providers. It does a multi-book search—enter all the ISBNs for all the books needed, and Direct Textbook can show a combine low price beyond stores, or with a unmarried preferred store.

What to shop for even more textbooks and e-textbooks on the cheap? Check out Textbook Underground , Textbook Solutions, TextBookRush, TextbookRentals.com, CheapestTextbooks.com, KnetBooks, ecampus.com, and the wonderfully named IHateTextbooks.com. You'll never visit the campus bookstore again—unless it's to buy a sweatshirt with the school logo.

Well-nigh Eric Griffith

Eric Griffith

Eric Griffith has been writing about computers, the net, and engineering science professionally for thirty years, more than than half of that time with PCMag. He was previously on the founding staff of publications similar Windows Sources, FamilyPC, and Admission Internet Magazine, all of which are now defunct, and it'due south not his fault. He spent six years writing exclusively about Wi-Fi, but don't ask him to fix your router. At PCMag he runs several special projects including the Readers' Pick and Business Option surveys, and yearly coverage of the Fastest ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs, plus regularly writes features on all tech topics. He's the author of two novels: BETA Examination ("an …