Saving Money with E-textbooks

As most college students are still hanging out by the beach, going to the mall, or basically anywhere else besides the library, it’s safe to say that school’s nowhere near their minds. But as the weeks wind down, everyone will be in a frenzy to buy all the essentials for the next school year.

Perhaps one of the most expensive items on everyone’s back to school agenda is the long list of required textbooks. Luckily, if your college student already has a laptop or electronic reader, they may be able to purchase or rent electronic textbooks at a lower cost.

Not only are e-books a great way to save money and cut back on paper waste at the same time, you student won’t have to lug all of those heavy books to class! Here are a few different vendors offering deals on electronic textbooks.

Amazon.com

It’s no surprise that Amazon offers a selection of electronic books for purchase, but as of recent, Amazon offers electronic textbook rentals through the Kindle Store. Students can rent the electronic files from 30 to 360 days at a time and save up to 80% off of the listed print textbook price.

In case you were wondering–you don’t need a Kindle to access Amazon’s library of electronic books—any gadget that can support the Kindle Reading App can access the files. (The Kindle Reading App is available for PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, Andriod, Windows Phone 7, and Blackberry.)

Chegg.com

An advocate for the green initiative, Chegg.com also offers a selection of electronic textbook rentals. Although they’re more known for renting hardcover textbooks, Chegg is gradually adding electronic versions available for students. The best part is that for every book that you rent, Chegg promises to plant a tree as part of their mission to the environment!

Google Books

A starting point for many of us as we search for the cheapest books online, Google Books provides students with a large collection of books in their e-bookstore, however they are only available for purchase. While the Google e-bookstore only has files for purchase, Google also offers many free e-books. Classic literature, such as Homer’s Illiad, are the types of books that are available for free.

Barnes & Noble

Many college campuses have school bookstores that partner with Barnes & Noble. While your child searches for their books, there should be an option whether they would like to purchase the hardcover book or electronic version. Search the Barnes & Noble website to see if your child’s college campus collaborates with their store.

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