Is there anywhere to rent ebooks?

[0007776]

So my question is basically the title of this thread. I don't mind paying a maybe 2 or 3 dollars a book or else a subscription fee, but I want to rent ebooks on my iPad so if anyone can help me that would be awesome.

 

[iserian]

Check out your local library - Overdrive etc... open formats exist.

 

[0007776]

Check out your local library - Overdrive etc... open formats exist.

I think my local library does offer it, but I can't really use it as I forgot to renew my library card and I'm spending a year away from home in another country where as far as I know we don't have a local library. I was hoping there would be somewhere I could just pay for a subscription.

 

[balamw]

I think my local library does offer it, but I can't really use it as I forgot to renew my library card and I'm spending a year away from home in another country where as far as I know we don't have a local library. I was hoping there would be somewhere I could just pay for a subscription.

Depends what kind of books. http://safaribooksonline.com/Corporate/Index/ is a subscription service for programming and tech related books though you may not be able to access it from outside the US without a VPN.

B

 

[poloponies]

So my question is basically the title of this thread. I don't mind paying a maybe 2 or 3 dollars a book or else a subscription fee, but I want to rent ebooks on my iPad so if anyone can help me that would be awesome.

It's hard enough for e-tailers to negotiate the sale of ebooks with publishers. You'd have to be some salesman to convince a publisher that it would be better to forego 100-$9.99 sales in favor of 100-$2 sales.

 

[PhoneI]

I also recommend the free Overdrive iPad app (if your library participates). I am actually surprised this isn't more popular. The last three books I read on my iPad, I downloaded for free using the Overdrive app. I had 14 days to read each book, before I had to renew. It works great and can now be done completely on the iPad (without the need of using a computer first to reserve the book).

 

[SteveKnobs]

CourseSmart rents ebooks for 3 months and 6 months. You rent it through the website and view it on the ipad app. I tried it out last semester- it worked pretty well. I'm still not sure if I liked it better than paper-based books....perhaps because it was a statistics textbook 🙁.