FLAT WORLD KNOWLEDGE GIVES AWAY 400 TEXTBOOKS

Open Textbook Publisher’s First-Day-of-Class Book Giveaway Saves Students $18,000

Nyack, NY – January 12, 2010 – As part of its mission to make textbooks free online and provide low-cost choices offline, Flat World Knowledge, the leading publisher of open college textbooks, is giving away 400 books to ease the financial burden of students as they begin the Spring 2010 semester. The First-Day-of-Class Book Giveaway represents a savings of $18,000 for the cash-strapped students.

While more than 40,000 students are already benefiting from free online access to Flat World textbooks, this week 200 educators at colleges and universities around the U.S. received two printed books to give away to students in their class. The black-and-white and full-color textbooks, which sell for $29.99 and $59.95 respectively, are priced much lower than traditional textbooks which average more than $100-plus per title.

“We understand how students and their families are struggling to pay for textbooks. Our First-Day-of-Class Book Giveaway helps students in need and recognizes those innovative professors, who by choosing to adopt a Flat World open textbook, are taking action to save their students thousands of dollars this semester,” said Eric Frank, co-founder of Flat World Knowledge.

Unlike the textbook rental model, students have immediate and free access to Flat World textbooks online, and the book remains available to them indefinitely. And unlike traditional textbooks, professors can personalize the learning experience by remixing, reordering and deleting chapters and sections, and adding notes and examples. And importantly, instructors choose when and if to switch to new editions of a Flat World textbook. There are no unnecessary new editions every 18 months, a common practice of the college textbook industry that drives up textbook costs for students.

“We have a mission as a publicly-funded institution to provide high-quality, affordable education. As a faculty member, I haven’t been able to do anything about the skyrocketing cost of textbooks until now,” said Dennis Passovoy, who teaches organizational behavior at the University of Texas at Austin. “The Flat World model is a big step toward making textbooks accessible to all students.”

With students routinely spending over $1,000 per year for higher education textbooks, there’s a growing outcry from students, educators, parents and government regulators who are demanding a halt to the unsustainable textbook price increases of the last decade.

Flat World is one of the fastest growing providers of higher education learning materials. For the Spring 2010 semester, over 40,000 college students at more than 480 colleges are using Flat World textbooks, up from only 1,000 students at 30 colleges in Spring 2009.

“We’re on track to expand to 100,000 students for the 2010 fall semester. By the end of the year, we expect to have saved students more than $15 million,” said Frank.

Flat World’s catalogue includes 20 titles, many for popular business, economics and marketing courses, with dozens more under development.

The Student Public Interest Research Group acknowledged Flat World as a leader of the open textbook movement in a recent report on textbook affordability titled "Course Correction: How Digital Textbooks are Off Track and How to Set Them Straight."

About Flat World Knowledge

Founded in 2007, privately-held Flat World Knowledge is a leading publisher of free, open textbooks for higher education. Written by the world’s leading subject matter experts, Flat World books are peer reviewed, and professionally edited and developed. Educators have the freedom to use the books as-is, or to modify them to suit their unique classroom requirements. Students can access the books for free online, or purchase low-cost print-on-demand, audio and downloadable versions, as well as a variety of study aids at a fraction of the cost of traditional textbooks. More information about Flat World Knowledge is available at http://www.flatworldknowledge.com.

Media Contact:
Carole Walters
Flat World Knowledge
cwalters@flatworldknowledge.com