New option for students fed up with textbooks costs: Rent directly from publisher
By APThursday, August 13, 2009
College textbook publisher will lend to students
A college textbook publisher says it will be the first in the industry to rent books directly to students.
Stamford, Conn.-based Cengage (SEN’-gage) Learning says it will cost 40 percent to 70 percent less than the suggested retail price. Students will immediately get the first chapter in electronic format, then will be shipped the book.
Students can already rent secondhand textbooks through third-party Web sites, but publishers complain they’re cut out of that market. They say the reason textbooks sometimes cost $100 or more is that they get one chance to collect revenue — the first time the book is sold.
By renting directly to students, Cengage could collect revenue several times from each book. The company says it will offer several hundred rental titles starting in December.
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August 31, 2009: 12:36 am
I like the idea of renting, but sometimes I like to keep certain books from classes I really enjoyed. I understand that the main draw to renting is the price, but they actually aren’t always cheaper, and that coupled with the fact that I like to keep some of them often leads me to purchase mine. However, whether renting or purchasing, I use http:://www.bigwords.com to combat the high prices. They are a textbook search engine that searches all the online retailers and rental sites to find you the best prices. And for books you purchased you can even use them at the end of the semester to search for resellers to sell you books back to. It’s pretty cool. |
J. Scott