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Open access textbooks are being developed and promoted to combat the exponential rise of college textbook prices.  Click here to read more about the open textbook movement.

Check out these commercial and free authoring tools  to create your own e-textbook.

Creative Commons licensing protects the rights of free, self-published content.

An open access textbook is one that can be freely viewed, downloaded, and self-printed.

How do free e-Textbooks work?

• Free e-Textbooks are usually published under the Creative Commons licenses so that a work’s copyright can be protected more flexibly from the least to the most restrictive. 

• Some sites allow you to modify their materials and other sites require you to take the text "as is". 

• Part of being free of cost means the textbooks are electronic, although some sites allow you to order a paper copy for a nominal fee.  Some sites also offer interactive tools for the e-books for an extra fee.  Source

If you decide to use any OATs in your class, please thoroughly research and examine the book you wish to assign.

• Use this Open Textbook Quick Start to decide how to choose and use a free e-textbook.

• 7 Things You Should Know about Open Textbook Publishing