Spotify for Textbooks

[ColbyG]

I'm sure everyone has heard terms like this before. Replace Spotify with Netflix or Uber, whatever. My idea isn't revolutionary but there's a need that isn't currently being filled.

I'll spell out the problem, solution and why in dot points because dot points are simple.
Problem:

• Textbooks for uni/college students are very expensive
• Research has shown that many students choose not to buy the required textbook because its too expensive, thus their learning suffers
• Research has shown that students sometimes choose courses based on whether a textbook is required.
• When the semester ends, the student now owns a textbook they don't need anymore, so they have to go through the hassle of selling it, or it collects dust.

Solution:

• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access textbooks for short periods of time, e.g. 1 hour book loan for $5
• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access all their textbooks for a monthly fee i.e. spotify

Barriers:

• Obtaining books
• Legal issues
• Lack of money makes it hard to pursue technical people to help explain how implementation could work

Competitors:

• Existing textbook sellers (Pearson, Wiley etc)
• Packback - very similar idea to mine but hasn't gained much traction in the market
• Physical textbook rentals (Chegg, Zookal etc)

I worked on this project for a few months but hit a dead end in acquiring the books. I have tried to get in contact with a number of different publishers and e-book wholesalers without any success.

My questions for my good friends here:

• Do you think this idea is possible to bring to market? Consider whether the publishers will even want to supply their books to me.
• What sort of budget are we looking at for an MVP? Consider legal costs, costs to acquire books, marketing, platform dev etc.

As a student myself, I just want this problem solved. If someone can steal my idea and make it happen, you'll make me a very happy man. Paying $200-$300 for a book that is used for 13 weeks is ridiculous and it has to end.

p.s. I have references to studies if people are curious of the exact numbers.

Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Be honest with me. No sugar coating here.

 

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[Chinobey]

I'm sure everyone has heard terms like this before. Replace Spotify with Netflix or Uber, whatever. My idea isn't revolutionary but there's a need that isn't currently being filled.

I'll spell out the problem, solution and why in dot points because dot points are simple.
Problem:

• Textbooks for uni/college students are very expensive
• Research has shown that many students choose not to buy the required textbook because its too expensive, thus their learning suffers
• Research has shown that students sometimes choose courses based on whether a textbook is required.
• When the semester ends, the student now owns a textbook they don't need anymore, so they have to go through the hassle of selling it, or it collects dust.

Solution:

• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access textbooks for short periods of time, e.g. 1 hour book loan for $5
• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access all their textbooks for a monthly fee i.e. spotify

Barriers:

• Obtaining books
• Legal issues
• Lack of money makes it hard to pursue technical people to help explain how implementation could work

Competitors:

• Existing textbook sellers (Pearson, Wiley etc)
• Packback - very similar idea to mine but hasn't gained much traction in the market
• Physical textbook rentals (Chegg, Zookal etc)

I worked on this project for a few months but hit a dead end in acquiring the books. I have tried to get in contact with a number of different publishers and e-book wholesalers without any success.

My questions for my good friends here:

• Do you think this idea is possible to bring to market? Consider whether the publishers will even want to supply their books to me.
• What sort of budget are we looking at for an MVP? Consider legal costs, costs to acquire books, marketing, platform dev etc.

As a student myself, I just want this problem solved. If someone can steal my idea and make it happen, you'll make me a very happy man. Paying $200-$300 for a book that is used for 13 weeks is ridiculous and it has to end.

p.s. I have references to studies if people are curious of the exact numbers.

Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Be honest with me. No sugar coating here.

Sounds like something that would be very expensive to create if possible at all sounds like you would encounter numerous legal issues. As to some of your ideas a few would just not work for example offering a loan of a book for $5 an hour? You would just spend an hour screenshotting the pages of the book surely? Anyways in my opinion it would be a good idea but would require A LOT of work. Btw what book cost $200-300 all my study books have never cost over $30

 

[Hicks]

Hi, at one point I was looking in to getting my books into universities and I found this ProQuest - Ebooks useful?

 

[Hicks]

Sounds like something that would be very expensive to create if possible at all sounds like you would encounter numerous legal issues. As to some of your ideas a few would just not work for example offering a loan of a book for $5 an hour? You would just spend an hour screenshotting the pages of the book surely? Anyways in my opinion it would be a good idea but would require A LOT of work. Btw what book cost $200-300 all my study books have never cost over $30

Usually highly specialist books. I've seen engineering books for more than that.

 

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[ColbyG]

Sounds like something that would be very expensive to create if possible at all sounds like you would encounter numerous legal issues. As to some of your ideas a few would just not work for example offering a loan of a book for $5 an hour? You would just spend an hour screenshotting the pages of the book surely? Anyways in my opinion it would be a good idea but would require A LOT of work. Btw what book cost $200-300 all my study books have never cost over $30

Screenshotting is a definitely an issue I've investigated. Screenshots can be prevented on Android (I assume also on iOS). I can't see any viable solution for a web browser... therefore, develop apps only??

Yeah, as Hicks said, most engineering textbooks are this price. e.g. Wiley: Civil Engineering Structures According to the Eurocodes: Inspection and Maintenance - Xavier Lauzin
Medicine is very similar/worse. Business books are generally in the $60-$150 range.

Hi, at one point I was looking in to getting my books into universities and I found this ProQuest - Ebooks useful?

Ah very nice. Looks very similar to another e-book wholesaler I was pursuing. This is the perfect resource for me, but they were really only willing to talk to established companies which is where I hit the wall.

I think my next step, if I was to pursue, is to get funding.

 

[maverick]

Students are lazy. They just buy summaries nowadays:

Buying or selling lecture summaries, notes and old exams - Stuvia
Knoowy - Buy and sell study documents from students
StuDocu - Free summaries, past exams & lecture notes
etc

Market seems saturated to me.

 

[BrooklynHustle]

I'm sure everyone has heard terms like this before. Replace Spotify with Netflix or Uber, whatever. My idea isn't revolutionary but there's a need that isn't currently being filled.

I'll spell out the problem, solution and why in dot points because dot points are simple.
Problem:

• Textbooks for uni/college students are very expensive
• Research has shown that many students choose not to buy the required textbook because its too expensive, thus their learning suffers
• Research has shown that students sometimes choose courses based on whether a textbook is required.
• When the semester ends, the student now owns a textbook they don't need anymore, so they have to go through the hassle of selling it, or it collects dust.

Solution:

• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access textbooks for short periods of time, e.g. 1 hour book loan for $5
• An online e-textbook resource that allows students to access all their textbooks for a monthly fee i.e. spotify

Barriers:

• Obtaining books
• Legal issues
• Lack of money makes it hard to pursue technical people to help explain how implementation could work

Competitors:

• Existing textbook sellers (Pearson, Wiley etc)
• Packback - very similar idea to mine but hasn't gained much traction in the market
• Physical textbook rentals (Chegg, Zookal etc)

I worked on this project for a few months but hit a dead end in acquiring the books. I have tried to get in contact with a number of different publishers and e-book wholesalers without any success.

My questions for my good friends here:

• Do you think this idea is possible to bring to market? Consider whether the publishers will even want to supply their books to me.
• What sort of budget are we looking at for an MVP? Consider legal costs, costs to acquire books, marketing, platform dev etc.

As a student myself, I just want this problem solved. If someone can steal my idea and make it happen, you'll make me a very happy man. Paying $200-$300 for a book that is used for 13 weeks is ridiculous and it has to end.

p.s. I have references to studies if people are curious of the exact numbers.

Look forward to hearing what you have to say. Be honest with me. No sugar coating here.

Sounds like potential to me...

Challenge for you:

What is the fastest, cheapest way you could bring a "bootleg version" of this to market, just to see if students at ONE university will pay you for it?

If you can't do that, don't even worry about the licensing, technical issues, etc

However if you've got willing customers even with a "bad" version, this should be a good sign to press forward through the challenges

Check out "The Lean Startup" if you don't really know what I mean

Definitely remember feeling hugely scammed by the textbook industry during my college days

Best of luck, man...

 

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[Hicks]

Sounds like potential to me...

Challenge for you:

What is the fastest, cheapest way you could bring a "bootleg version" of this to market, just to see if students at ONE university will pay you for it?

If you can't do that, don't even worry about the licensing, technical issues, etc

However if you've got willing customers even with a "bad" version, this should be a good sign to press forward through the challenges

Check out "The Lean Startup" if you don't really know what I mean

Definitely remember feeling hugely scammed by the textbook industry during my college days

Best of luck, man...

I absolutely second this sentiment. For something of this size and complexity you absolutely need to test it totally before doing it at full scale.

 

[ColbyG]

Sounds like potential to me...

Challenge for you:

What is the fastest, cheapest way you could bring a "bootleg version" of this to market, just to see if students at ONE university will pay you for it?

If you can't do that, don't even worry about the licensing, technical issues, etc

However if you've got willing customers even with a "bad" version, this should be a good sign to press forward through the challenges

Definitely remember feeling hugely scammed by the textbook industry during my college days

Best of luck, man...

Ok I like this idea. Fastest, cheapest way:

Step one: I could focus on one degree, say civil engineering, and find PDF copies of the textbooks needed, develop an iOS app (most people use iOS), and show it to people.

Cost: Barest possible product, maybe $500. Only real cost is the app development. I wouldn't even bother with payment processing, ads etc at this point. Just a menu system with the books.

Next step: Go for completely offline marketing, talk to people in my degree to see if they will download and use the app. I couldn't take their money because I don't have rights to the books.

Next step: If its popular... No idea??? Funding to develop a full, legal, civil engineering stream of books.
Alternatively: Expand my sketchy version to other degrees to further gauge interest.

Thoughts on this?