The evolving etextbook landscape: Strategies, platform, innovation

Abstract

The etextbook market is rapidly evolving from a relatively obscure corner of higher education into a multi-billion dollar industry, changing the nature of education in the 21st century. This exploration focuses on new etextbook strategies, platforms and curricular innovation by current market competitors to present a roadmap of this emergent territory. The paper begins with a technological and economic overview of the current US and global etextbook markets, and then focuses on innovation through an analysis of new etextbook market players’ models and strategies, among them, Apple, AcademicPub, Tizra, Aptara, Leap, CourseSmart and Vital Source. The paper concludes with a look at the horizon to speculate on the future of the etextbook within the evolving online course, university and global education marketplace.