By: Kelsey Hoffman
Our world is becoming so digital. It has crept into colleges and taken over the way things are done. You can now take classes online and buy your texts and assigned articles over the internet. These online-based opportunities have cut costs for education, but another way to cut costs for schooling is by taking advantage of the new textbook rental companies emerging. Chegg.com is a perfect example of this type of service. They are a textbook rental company that has not only helped students make the costs of books more affordable, but has also flourished itself. They raised $57 million in venture capital.
Bookrental.com is another website that profits from renting out textbooks. They have raised $6 million in funding this year from companies including Storm Ventures and Adams Capital Management. Bookrental.com allows students to rent textbooks from them for 75% less than their retailed price. Books are delivered to the students door and they can be returned at no additional cost at the end of the rental period.
From personal experience also, it costs me on average $500 per semester to pay for books and readers. If I were to use a book rental service, it would cut costs on books for me by about 60%.
Bookrental.com is another website that profits from renting out textbooks. They have raised $6 million in funding this year from companies including Storm Ventures and Adams Capital Management. Bookrental.com allows students to rent textbooks from them for 75% less than their retailed price. Books are delivered to the students door and they can be returned at no additional cost at the end of the rental period.
From personal experience also, it costs me on average $500 per semester to pay for books and readers. If I were to use a book rental service, it would cut costs on books for me by about 60%.
Sources:
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/11/19/cheggcom-raises-57-million-in-new-venture-funding/
http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/11/30/textbook-rental-site-bookrenter.com-raises-$6-million
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/12/02/u-s-dept-of-education-funds-bookshare-world%E2%80%99s-largest-accessible-online-library-for-people-with-print-disabilitie/
http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/11/19/cheggcom-raises-57-million-in-new-venture-funding/
http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2009/11/30/textbook-rental-site-bookrenter.com-raises-$6-million
http://www.resourceshelf.com/2009/12/02/u-s-dept-of-education-funds-bookshare-world%E2%80%99s-largest-accessible-online-library-for-people-with-print-disabilitie/
BookRental is actually BookRenter.com, which has 5 rental periods to choose from, from 30 days for summer to 125 days for a semester.
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