Rented Textbooks on the Amazon Kindle

Great news for penniless college students: Amazon is now offering rental textbooks to students. Here’s what you need to know about Amazon’s latest offering.

How Much Will Students Save?

News sources are reporting that the rented e-textbooks can save students up to 80% off the list price.

How Long are the Rental Periods?

Students can rent the book for anywhere from 30 days up to a year. After a year, they can opt to pay a per diem fee for the book’s usage or simply buy the books.

Will the Textbooks Only be Available for the Kindle?

Though the Kindle is the most obvious platform for the new textbook rental program, it won’t be the only one. Renting students can also access their books on any PC, Mac, or smartphone. Better yet, students can still access all their individual highlights or annotations after their rental period is finished.

What are the Benefits of E-textbooks?

In addition to the obvious monetary benefits, e-textbooks are ideal for students taking online college courses, since their entire learning experience is done electronically anyway. It’s also a godsend for students who are lugging a sack full of heavy textbooks and a laptop around all day. Commuting students, who must carry a full day’s worth of books and notes around, should be particularly interested in the e-textbook offerings.

What Could be Next?

Some experts are hoping to see rent-by-the-chapter options for professors who pick and choose their student’s reading material from a plethora of books. Others hope to see the Kindle’s price tag go down.