How much does it cost to create a platform for e-textbooks? Own project vs the SaaS model – comparison

One of the most important questions facing publishers today is: how to optimise costs? This also relates to the decision on whether it is more profitable to choose external software and services supporting the publication of digital textbooks or to create one’s own proprietary system. In today’s world, specialisation is the norm, and using services in the Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) model is one of the most popular solutions supporting business. Does this work similarly in the world of e-textbooks for publishers?

SaaS in the world of digital textbooks

Typical business examples of SaaS maintained in the computing cloud are Microsoft Office 365 services or customer relationship management (CRM) (CRM) applications. The ease of use, with remote access to materials and data via a web browser, minimises the difficulties associated with implementing such a solution at the company. Today, it seems obvious that it is easier, faster and more effective to use ready-made office packages or customer service systems than to tediously develop your own software.

The software provider takes care of the hosting and ensures server efficiency. Programming work, customer technical support or ongoing maintenance are provided without our intervention. SaaS implementations do not require investment in specialised computer equipment, which is undoubtedly another advantage of this solution.

This allows for nearly complete outsourcing of IT services and focusing on the main activity of the publishing house, i.e. the quality of the educational materials offered.

The great advantage of SaaS is the way they are settled – usually, these are fixed subscription costs or charges calculated in accordance with the “pay-as-you-go” principle. A company taking advantage of the SaaS solution only pays for the services it uses.

The same applies to the publication of digital textbooks in the computing cloud. The fee for the publishing house is charged in the form of a margin only on the sold copies, which is the same as in the model commonly used in cooperation with printed book wholesalers.

A proprietary system for e-textbooks – what does it entail?

Creating a proprietary digital textbook system is a time-consuming and costly process. When you start working on your own application, you need to conduct a detailed needs analysis and precisely define your goals. The key questions at this stage are: what do we want to achieve? How should the system work, what should it offer, how should it stand out from the competition, and how and for what purpose will our clients – students, teachers and the school administration – use it? The next stage of work is the design, creation and testing of a prototype, and only then the proper software. The last step is a tedious and long-lasting process of testing subsequent versions of the product. Even if a relatively simple version of a proprietary system is created, the process takes at least several months. This time naturally depends on the scale of the target project, the budget and the team members’ experience in cooperation with software houses.

The implementation of the application and entry into the market do not finish the work related to it. Another ongoing activity will be to ensure its trouble-free operation. Systems operating in digital reality require constant development, updating or modification in terms of the UX, so that the product continues to be attractive to users.

It’s worth asking whether we have an appropriate – multi-million budget and whether we can afford to involve in the project of creating an original application with such extensive human resources for a long time without compromising the main strategy of the publishing house.

Do you really need to spend millions? A few words about cost.

The development of a proprietary system for digitising textbooks and a platform for their use is an expensive project. The budget allocated to its implementation depends on many elements. The most important things to consider are the level of application complexity, the functionalities offered, the target number and type of users, and the availability of language versions. Therefore, in such a complex project, we always deal with the risk of underestimating costs – in terms of both finances and time required for implementation.

Few people outside the IT industry are aware that the cost of testing and patching often exceeds the cost of developing software. In addition, the costs of improvements related to the need to adapt the application to user expectations or optimise its operation after launching the MVP (minimum viable product) version turn out to be very demanding financially. The fixed costs of maintaining server infrastructure depend on the number of application users, i.e. the traffic generated on the server. Contrary to popular belief, the cost of maintaining an application may turn out to be significant. 

Suppose e-textbooks are to become a stand-alone interactive product, and not only an addition to printed books. In that case, you should also bear in mind the costs typically associated with marketing activities. When launching a new platform, you have to take into account the expenses associated with promoting it practically from scratch. Attracting customers to a new application is a long-term process, especially since potential users – students and teachers – are already using other solutions functioning on the market.

Ready-made solutions for educational publishing houses

Considering all the pros and cons, the optimal solution seems to be to take advantage of the digital textbook platforms already offered and proven on the market, such as e-coursebook.eu. The key factor when choosing SaaS for a publishing house is therefore to verify that we will be provided with services at an appropriate level.

What factors should be considered when choosing a platform for digitising textbooks?

Let’s use the example of the e-coursebook.eu platform:

• ease of digitisation of textbooks

The platform should be easy to use, and creating e-coursebooks should be fast and shouldn’t require a lot of work on the part of the publisher.

The e-coursebook technology offers such facilitations. Digitisation of the textbook doesn’t require any programming skills or the use of graphic programs. An intuitive wizard guides you step by step through digitising your content.

• the service provider’s experience in the e-textbook market

The pandemic has shown the importance of not only a proven process of digitisation of educational materials, but also a tested platform for their distribution to students, teachers and schools.

The platform with e-coursebooks has been operating for over 10 years, and its effectiveness is evidenced by the fact that the number of its active users has increased by nearly 400% since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020,

• maintained service efficiency

Ensuring trouble-free operation 24/7, the highest security standards and the maintenance of backups constitute the basis of service reliability.

By using the e-coursebook.eu technology, the publishing house receives a comprehensive service and doesn’t have to engage in the above activities.

• technical support

Access to professional technical support and competent consultants is one of the important aspects of using SaaS solutions.

The experienced team at e-coursebook.eu and a supervisor who knows the realities of work in the publishing industry assist the publishing house in its daily work in digitisation and in servicing the final users (students, teachers, schools).

• attractiveness of the platform

For the end users, two things are most important – both the intuitive operation and the visual side of the application. Aesthetics and ease of use of the platform are factors that allow you to win and retain clients.

The e-coursebook.eu platform was created on the basis of over 10 years of experience in the implementation of e-learning solutions for students and teachers from all over the world. We know what works best in the education market,

e-coursebook for educational publishing houses

The services offered as part of the SaaS model have an additional advantage – the ability to test them.

Register and check out for free how your textbook will work as an interactive e-coursebook. Decide for yourself whether we will provide you with the service you are looking for.

Yes, I want to try! Do you have any questions? Let’s talk about how we can turn your textbooks into interactive e-coursebooks. Email Us!