A college education may be a lifetime investment, but college textbooks may only see use for a semester or less. And with many students pinching pennies because of tuition and tightening family budgets, some donâ??t see buying textbooks as worth the cost, which is typically between $700 and $1,000 per year.
Textbook rental programs have been sprouting up and growing for some time, but this week there are signs of a market shift with large, traditional bookstore companies going further than they have in the past in embracing the rental concept. And at the same time, those already in the market see the interest from traditional textbook players as a sign that their model is taking off.