Open textbooks are textbooks that have been funded, published, and licensed to be freely used, adapted, and distributed. - Open Textbook Library
Like traditional textbooks, open textbooks are written by experts in the field and undergo a process of peer review and professional editing and development. Unlike the traditional publishing model, publishers and authors of open textbooks are paid for their labor upfront by the funding organization or grant, instead of relying on sales to pay back their investments.
Open textbook publishing model by David Ernst is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
It is estimated by the College Board that undergraduate students can expect to pay upwards of $1,298 a year for textbooks and supplies. The cost of textbooks impacts student success and retention. Students who participated in the 2016 Florida Student Textbook Survey answered that, at least once over the course of their academic careers, the cost of required textbooks caused them to:
| 66.6% | Not purchase the required textbook |
| 47.6% | Take fewer courses |
| 45.5% | Not register for a specific course |
| 37.6% | Earn a poor grade because I could not afford to buy the textbook |
| 26.1% | Drop a course |
| 19.8% | Fail a course because I could not afford to buy the textbook |
