Free Textbooks

One of the hardest parts about being a student is the cost of education. Textbooks alone cost hundreds of dollars, adding up to thousands throughout their schooling. So how about eliminating that cost entirely and making them free?

Several companies around the world are already doing it including Freeload Press and Ventus Publishing! The text books are sponsored by companies, like credit card companies, who feature ads for services like student loans.

In North America, Freeload Press offers free e-textbooks to colleges which feature ads at the end of each chapter. All they have to do is fill out a survey, and they're entitled to their free download. Students who miss the ability to lug around their books don't have to give up their desire for paper version; they can order them for $30 which is enough to cover printing costs.

For advertisers, it's a great opportunity too. The rich media ads, which include audio and video, are hyperlinked in the e-books, and the brands are further promoted on the FreeloadPress.com site where they're measured by download and click-through rates.

European students don't have to miss out on this awesome opportunity either thanks to Ventus Publishing. They offer textbooks to students studying business, science and engineering in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands and Belgium, with ads for cell phone companies, airlines and companies like Nestle promoting study snacks.

The European books have a lot more ads than the North American versions; ads appear ever four pages, but I don't think the students will complain. That's thousands of dollars they saved... so now they can actually go out and buy those flashy cell phones they in their economics books!

It's hard to believe that back in 2006, we were fascinated by free notebooks for college students...