For students, electronic textbooks by the chapter

It’s been several years since the launch of BookRenter’s textbook rental program, but just recently we came upon what’s surely the next logical step: Electronic textbooks, sold by the chapter. Focusing initially on education, business and the social sciences, UK-based Reference Tree aims to give higher-education students a way to purchase just the portions of the textbooks they need to efficiently complete their coursework. Publishers including Elsevier, Taylor + Francis, Sage, Hodder Education, McGraw Hill and Cambridge University Press have already signed on with the service, which adds features such as the ability to highlight and annotate text and — coming soon — the ability to collaborate with peers through shared notes and comments. Chapter pricing begins as low as GBP 1.50. It’s a snack culture world out there, where consumers prefer to consume everything from desserts to books in bite-sized portions. Other book publishers: what about you? (Related: Business books served in bite sizes for e-readers.)