Save Thousands On Textbooks

Table of Contents Introduction..................................................................................................1 Step 1: Know which textbooks you need before school starts...............................7 Step 2: Figure out how much the textbooks would cost at your bookstore.............10 Step 3: Use your college libraries interlibrary loan system...................................12 Step 4: Use your city or town's public library.....................................................15 Step 5: Use online bookstores for buying and selling..........................................17 Step 6: Use the tricks of the internet to find books.............................................20 Step 7: Use your friends.................................................................................23 Step 8: Buy the edition down..........................................................................25 Parting Words...............................................................................................27 Appendix.....................................................................................................28 About the Author...........................................................................................31

Introduction Every year college students work long hours at low-paying jobs attempting to fight the rising price of the college experience. According to an article on bankrate.com, "students with jobs typically work 25 hours a week and earn $7.50 an hour". The average college semester is 15 weeks so, after taxes, an on-campus job brings in around $2500/semester. This number is not enough for a majority of college students when taking expenses like tuition and room and board into account—not to mention the most nagging rising cost, textbooks. According to the Washington Post, "students at four-year schools spent, on average, about $900 for books and supplies in 2003-04”. Students are being forced to work long hours at low-wage jobs in an attempt to dig their way out of debt caused by textbook prices, when instead, they could be using some creative options for saving thousands—yes, thousands—of dollars on textbooks over the course of their college careers. While in college, my girlfriend and I ran a textbook business out of my dorm room. We would buy books from students and repeatedly offer more money than the 3

bookstore. We would then turn around and sell those books on Amazon.com. Over 3, 10 week terms (my school was on trimesters) we made a little under $5000. I got to work on my couch and drink apple juice, while my peers were wasting their time at minimum wage jobs signing people in at the sweaty weight room or giving campus tours in 10 inches of snow. It was great. During my 2 years of buying and selling textbooks, I learned a lot about the relationship between textbooks and college students. I learned that a large amount of students were in debt because of textbook prices and I met a lot of students who were angry at the bookstore. Regardless, many of these same individuals refused to change their ways and continued to trudge back to the bookstore at the start of every semester. These students were failing their wallets on 3 levels. First, they weren't preparing before the semester started, thus, they had no choice but to go with the bookstore's prices. Second, they weren't using the abundant internet options available to find cheaper textbooks. Third, they were getting ripped off at the end of the semester when selling their books back to the bookstore. I will admit, my freshman year I too was in line at the bookstore and blown away by the prices that came up on the cash register. Luckily, I quickly learned how to avoid the bookstore's ridiculous prices and found loopholes to get the textbooks I 4

needed for class—at prices that were repeatedly 50-90% cheaper than the bookstore. In 4 years, I saved close to $2000 on textbooks by using the steps described in this e-book. I still passed all of my classes, finished with a 3.2 GPA, and graduated in 4 years. What did I do differently? Once experiencing the wrath of the bookstore's prices, I avoided it at all cost and quickly learned that by doing so, I could leave college with minimal debt. If I had known these steps going into college, that dollar amount saved would have been closer to $3000. That's $3000 that can go towards meals out with friends, paying off loans, or buying an Xbox 360. So, how is this done? How does one go about saving money on books that are often listed as $50, $100, $200, even $300 each? It is done by paying attention to the abundant options available to college students on campus. In this e-book you'll find the 8 steps I used to save close to $2000 on textbooks while in college. 5

Included are: * detailed, thought-out steps, with links to sites I've successfully used * a downloadable spreadsheet to keep your book buying organized * a completed spreadsheet of a hypothetical semester I created to show how I used the 8 steps to save $520 at a random university choosing 4 random courses * step-by-step guidelines for executing each step to maximize savings Now, these 8 steps are not for everyone. If you enjoy the ease of the trip to the bookstore on the first day of classes, then be my guest and continue to line the golden pockets of the bookstore owners. However, if you want to keep the money that you've worked hard for, pay off other outstanding debts, and maybe even buy the new 3GS or another drink at the bar, then I suggest you continue reading. Buying textbooks does not have to cost $1000 every semester. It can cost $20—or even less. Here’s how it’s done. 6

Step 1: Know which textbooksyou need before school starts This is most important step to saving thousands on textbooks and the groundwork for never spending extravagantly on textbooks again. Every semester, students across the country blindly walk into the bookstore on the first day of classes with schedule in hand, having no idea what books they need. They do this—I like to think —because they don't know better. What these students need to know is that every bookstore posts the textbooks needed for classes weeks, and sometimes months, in advance of the first day of class. In this information you can find the exact book needed for class, including author, edition, and most importantly, price. Sometimes these pages are miraculously "hidden" on the school's bookstore's website, but a simple 1 minute search can turn up this information. Here’s how it can be done: - Google the name of your school followed by “bookstore” 7

- Once you find your bookstore's website, there will be a place on the site to buy textbooks online and drop down menus for the specific term, department, course number, and section. The picture below is an example of what you will see. I found this at the University of Illinois' bookstore website and I managed to find this information in less than a minute. 8

The importance of knowing which textbooks you need before school starts is the most vital step to saving thousands on textbooks. This will allow you to compare the price of the textbook at the bookstore to other vendors online and will provide you important information for saving your money. Some bookstores do not want you to know this information too soon since they will lose money because of it, so a lot of the time they will not make this information known until right before school starts. Ask for it! Call your bookstore and ask when they will be releasing their books for the next semester, or set your homepage to the bookstore's website for the month or two before school starts so you can take 5-10 seconds to check everyday. This simple act will allow you to save hundreds of dollars for that term so don't take this step lightly. 9

Step 2: Figure out how much the textbooks would cost at your bookstore Once the bookstore has posted the textbook information for the upcoming semester, grab your schedule, and create a quick spreadsheet with the price of the books you will be needing at the bookstore. Include author, edition, and most importantly, ISBN. ISBN stands for International Standard Book Number and is a 10 or 13 digit number located on the back of the book, near the bar code. This is a unique number that will allow you to search easily on the internet to find the exact book you need. If you have this number you don't even need the author or edition, but it's good to have all of it in case there is a mistake. Write all of this information down and make sure it is easily accessible for later steps. Here is a sample spreadsheet you can download that already has all of the information you need: Save Thousands on Textbooks Spreadsheet This simple step will allow you to keep organized as you move forward to find cheaper textbook options. Some people hate spreadsheets, but I'd make 500 10

spreadsheets if it meant I could save thousands of dollars. Once you have inserted all of your textbook information into your new, fancy spreadsheet you are done with the groundwork and can finally start finding your cheap textbook alternatives! 11

Step 3: Use your college libraries interlibary loan system Approximate savings per semester: $35-$400 This step saved me hundreds of dollars every semester on textbooks and no one knows about it. Well, some people do. Those certain individuals who were sitting in the first row of library orientation freshman year and listening intently to the librarian drone on about topics like EBSCO or print credits. He or she probably mentioned the interlibrary loan system during that orientation, but did so in a librarian matter so no one really paid attention. If only he or she had been waving $100 bills at us then maybe we would have actually paid attention... I guarantee your college belongs to an interlibrary loan system of some sort. What exactly is the interlibrary loan system? Well, the interlibrary loan system connects your school’s library to others in the state and allows your library, and you, access to any and all books at participating libraries. For example, I went to school at a small liberal arts school in Illinois, but had 12

access to libraries at the University of Illinois, University of Chicago, DePaul University, and, oh, 73 other libraries! My school's library was pretty lackluster, but because of interlibrary loan I had access to over 30 million library items. Chances are the exact textbooks you need for your classes will be available free of charge at one of those libraries. If you happen to go to school in Illinois check out this list to see if your school belongs: http://www.carli.illinois.edu/members_i-s.html Check with your school's library to see what sort of interlibrary loan system they belong to and call and have a librarian show you how to navigate the online interface. It’s their job and they will love that someone is actually calling the library and asking for help instead of just using the internet. Here is a great write-up on exactly how to do the interlibrary loan process at my school, which should translate closely to your school's system. There is also a great write-up included in this link about how to request a textbook if one is not available through interlibrary loan: http://library.noctrl.edu/books/ill_books.php Once you order the book, it may take 1-2 weeks to get to your school's library. Plan ahead if you can, but if you happen to order the book after the start of the semester, just share with a friend, ask to borrow a teacher's copy, or go without for 13

a couple of class periods. On multiple occasions I went 2-3 weeks into the semester without a book while I was waiting for my interlibrary book to come in, and I was perfectly fine. The $50-$200 savings are worth the little wait. Important! A majority of the time you will only be able to keep the interlibrary loan textbook for 4-6 weeks, but you can almost always renew the book multiple times which will allow you to keep the book for the entire semester. Once you receive a book, set a reminder on your iCal or Google calendar to renew the book when it's due. Part of saving money is avoiding unnecessary library late fees so don't forget! Mastering this step will save you a majority of your money for the semester, but sometimes textbooks aren't available at the school library for a variety of reasons. Don't fret, we still have 5 more textbook saving steps coming your way. 14

Step 4: Use your city or town's public library Approximate savings per semester: $10-200 This step is great for those pesky $15 reading books in English or Philosophy, but also for big-ticket textbooks like Business Law or Math. If you aren't familiar with your town's library, do a quick Google search to locate their website. If you don't have your own transportation, borrow a friend's car or pay him or her $5 for gas to get to the library (you'll be making a lot more money back so it doesn't matter). Once there, ask to get a library card. You may not pay taxes to that town or city, but you are a college student, and thus a temporary resident of the town. You will be able to get a library card free of charge. Once signed up, you have even more books at your choosing. Search the libraries website for the books you need, or ask a librarian to guide you. Also, have him or her show you how to work the interlibrary loan system at their respective library. Public libraries also belong to these gems of programs and I’ve even had my town’s library purchase books that I requested when they could not find them. On multiple occasions I have requested new reading books, 15

and within 2-6 weeks of requesting the public library order the book, the brand- new book was in my hand. Once again—absolutely free. It's the libraries job to assist you so don't feel timid asking for help. Often times, getting to know a librarian will allow you to form a relationship and they may even help a little quicker if you request it. Be nice; it pays. Literally. 16

Step 5: Use online bookstores for buying and sel ling Approximate savings per semester: $20-$500 If you are not using www.amazon.com to purchase textbooks, do yourself a favor and please start. Amazon has the largest selection of books on the internet and they've had 99.9% of the books I needed during my 4 years of college. The prices for Amazon’s books are consistently 30-75% cheaper than the prices at the bookstore and can even be shipped right to your door or campus mail room. Signing up for an account takes less than 5 minutes and requires a debit or credit card. Once signed up, you have the ability to find any book you need and compare prices to other sellers. A small shipping fee of $3.99 is added onto the price, but compared to the savings you'll receive, it’s pennies. Other online book sellers you can look into: -www.half.com (also have a great selection and owned by Ebay) -www.abebooks.com (great for cheap international versions) 17

If you Google, “textbooks online” you will be given 26 million options for buying textbooks so don’t blame a lack of options on your textbook shortcomings. Once you have purchased your books for 50% cheaper, great, but the real savings start on the back-end: selling your textbooks. College bookstores are great for getting quick and easy cash for your books at the end of the semester, but not so great if you like getting robbed. Yes, the money you receive back at the end of the semester for your books can be considered robbery. Before you head to the bookstore, check any of the above online book sellers and see how much your book is going for. Once you have this number, you can check your bookstore’s website to see how much they are buying the book for, or, if not listed online, go to the bookstore and ask. A majority of the time it will be 50% less than what you can get online, so post your book on amazon.com or half.com and wait for someone to purchase it. Now, you might be saying: what if no one buys my book? This is a possibility, but millions of people are roaming these sites everyday looking for deals. Also, one semester my textbook business bought 50 books and sold around 47 of them. I did so exclusively on Amazon (better interface, more organized, and more buyers available) and would not be hesitant about putting a book up there again. It’s worth it. 18

Now just because you’ve been introduced to the wonderful world of online book sellers and have found a new love, don’t go wasting your time to save a dollar or two. If your bookstore is going to give you $5 less than Amazon, go with the bookstore and save the hour it would take to sell the book online. But weigh your options and get what you deserve for that $250 Biology book at the end of the semester. Important! Always sell your textbooks at the end of the semester. Every day you wait to sell your book, the less money you will be able to get. It is frightening how fast textbook prices fluctuate online so get to Amazon or half.com as soon (or before) you are done with the class and get your money back. I was always surprised to meet people in college who said they liked to hold onto their textbooks for future use. You might as well keep $50 bills in a keyless safe on your dusty bookshelf because you are wasting your money and will never use any of those textbooks ever again. As soon as one semester passes and you change your mind about keeping that book, the price will have dropped almost 90% at times. Sell, sell, sell! Any information you need from these books is online so save yourself some serious cash, and let somebody else get some use out of the book, too. 19

Step 6: Use the tricks of the internet to find books Approximate savings per semester: $10-$150 This step was difficult to title because it’s a big stew of ways to get books for cheap —or even free. I’ve personally used every one of these options and will stand by them as great ways to save tons of cash. Book Swaps A lot of the times in college it’s the $10-$25 books that can add up and kick your credit card’s ass. Book swaps are simple ways to buy these books for $2. Sites like www.paperbackswap.com or www.bookmooch.com allow you to post any books you have that you are willing to give up. In return, you have access to other people’s books. The only cost is shipping the book to a buyer, and in return, you receive points which allow you to get books from other sellers. A lot of the smaller reading books are collecting dust on people’s shelves anyway so these are great sites to find these books. It also allows any books you may have, but don’t necessarily read, to get new life and be passed on to a fellow reader. 20

Special Free Offer! If you sign up for PaperBackSwap, insert my name, Austin Morgan, as your referral. I will get a credit for a book, and I will give that credit back to you through the “Buddy System”. Essentially, a free book for just signing up! Craigslist.com This site is known for finding apartments, used couches, and creepy stalkers, but it can also be used to locate textbooks. Go to www.craigslist.com and type in the title of your book and see what comes up. This works best around the end and beginning of semesters and can save you tons. What’s great about Craigslist is that you can usually barter the price down and sometimes very low if you are willing to pick up the book. If you are nervous about going to meet some stranger and buy a Molecular Chemistry book, bring a friend along or suggest to meet in a public place. I’ve used Craigslist around 10 times and have had nothing but great experiences. 21

Sites with FREE Online books Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page collects public domain books and puts them on the internet for free. With over 100,000 titles available you will often be able to find your Shakespeare or Philosophy books here. This is a fairly unknown resource but can provide some stellar savings. Google Books Google is crazy about getting books online and like Project Gutenberg, provides thousands upon thousands of public domain titles online for absolutely free. Go to http://books.google.com/ and search the title of your book. This site is incredibly organized and one of my favorite features is the “advanced preview” section. Occasionally, you’ll come across a book that lets you preview a couple of chapters and if you only need to read a short section from a book for class, this is your new best friend. Use it; love it. 22

Step 7: Use your friends Approximate savings per semester: $40-$400 At most schools, you usually know a couple of people in every class and most of the time you don’t need the actual textbook during the class period. Find one of these friends in your class and offer to split the cost of the book. This is especially good for classes that use textbooks sporadically, since there won't be any pressure to share the book during class. Instead of wasting $250 on the new marketing book, split the cost with a friend and save $125—or 16 hours of minimum-wage work. Feeling creative? Split the book with 3 or 4 people and use that money to buy more beer or the new Madden. Also, make sure to keep tabs on your friend's class schedules. This can provide an easy way to buy and sell textbooks. Perhaps, a friend of yours already took a class you're taking next semester, and they have the textbook sitting on their bookshelf 23

at home. See how much the book is going for on Amazon and at your bookstore, and make your friend a decent offer. Or, vice versa. Before the semester ends, see if anyone you know will be taking the class you're currently in. Offer to sell the book to them at a friendly discounted price. You'll make some good money back, and your friends will get a good deal on a discounted textbook. The use of friends step is underrated but can be one of the most efficient ways to save hundreds every semester. Think of it as bonding through Benjamins. 24

Step 8: Buy the edition down Approximate savings per semester: $50-$300 This is my second favorite tip and one that, unfortunately, I didn’t discover until my junior year. I could have saved over $600 my first 2 years of college if I would have known about this step. Like most people, I would have never thought to get the wrong edition of any book. What if chapters are missing? What if I do the wrong homework assignments? What if the diagrams are off? Textbook companies love ripping off students. Until I saw 2 editions of the same book next to one another, I never realized how much they truly enjoy ripping you off and then laughing about it at their company picnics. Here’s the deal: textbook companies rarely change anything significant about a book from one edition to the next. Besides a new picture here or chapter 6 and 7 changing places, you will not miss anything by getting your textbook 1, 2, or even 3 editions down. I’ve seen books that were exactly the 25

same and the only thing that changed was the textbook company added another page of fluff at the beginning of the book. Utilize libraries, interlibrary loan, and online textbook buying sites to find earlier editions of books and see for yourself how much you would be saving. Getting the edition down from interlibrary loan was where more than 65% of my textbook savings came from in college. This came out to hundreds of dollars every semester. Here’s an idea of just how much money this step can save you. As of August 15, 2009 the 14th edition of Smith and Robertson’s Business Law cost $142 on Amazon. How much did the 13th edition cost? $11. Take the plunge and get the edition down. 26

Parting Words I started this e-book because I was tired of seeing so many people waste money at the bookstore every semester and I knew I could help. I also want to help some other people in a different way. If you use these steps, e-mail me and tell me how much you saved. I believe in these steps and for every $5,000 my readers save, I will lend $50 to an entrepreneur across the world on Kiva.org. I will track the savings of my readers weekly on my blog so feel free to follow along. Also, go here for more free and easy ways you can promote Save Thousands on Textbooks, and the power of Kiva.org. Kiva is a great organization and I suggest you learn more about them by visiting their website above. Not every step will work for you, but I guarantee some of these will fit your situation. If you feel like I’ve lied or misled you, e-mail or find me on Twitter. Voice your frustration and tell me your situation and how these steps didn’t help you. I’ll gladly spend my time mapping out a strategy for saving you money on books. I’ve personally used all of these steps, seen others use them, and want people to know the truth about buying textbooks. Good luck and enjoy the extra money in your bank account! 27

Appendix Spreadsheet to keep your textbook buying organized, thus maximizing savings: Save Thousdands on Textbooks Spreadsheet Example of a completed spreadsheet. I chose 4 random classes at the University of Iowa and used the Illinois Interlibrary Loan system (since I could log-in). Using the 8 steps, I saved $520 in 45 minutes!!! Completed Save Thousands on Textbooks Spreadsheet List of Illinois Colleges in the I-Share Interlibrary Loan System: http://www.carli.illinois.edu/members_i-s.html 28

An example of how to get a book through interlibrary loan: http://library.noctrl.edu/books/ill_books.php Websites to find cheap textbooks: Amazon www.amazon.com Half www.half.com Abe Books www.abebooks.com Craigslist www.craigslist.com 29

Book swaps Paper Back Swap www.paperbackswap.com Book Mooch www.bookmooch.com Free E-books Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page Google Books http://books.google.com/ 30

About the Author Austin Morgan Austin is the author of the personal finance blog, Foreigner's Finances and the founder of Bikes & Books, an on-campus textbook business. He is an '09 graduate of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois and is currently teaching English in Fukui, Japan. He enjoys Chicago hot dogs, Arizona, and playing frisbee. To receive more tips about saving money on textbooks, e-mail Austin at austinhmorgan@gmail.com Read his personal blog Follow Austin on Twitter Copyright 2009 austinhmorgan.tumblr.com 31

Save Thousands On Textbooks

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