Buying your book
Our textbooks are available from all academic bookshops and from selected trade bookshops. Many bookstores stock books for UNISA students but most universities and colleges have authorised booksellers who are usually on campus or nearby. Your study material or university website should indicate the authorised booksellers.
Online retailers also stock textbooks or are able to source books quickly. The major online retailers are:
Many traditional bookstores also have online purchasing options should you wish to explore this option.
Academic bookstores generally keep stock of textbooks prescribed by the institutions they serve, although they might be temporarily out of stock. In these situations you should ask if you can order a book for collection when stock is received. If the bookstore is part of a chain, ask if a copy can be sourced from another branch. Bookstores may return unsold stock later in the semester so it is best to avoid buying your textbook just before your final exams.
Trade bookstores such as Exclusive Books might be able to order a book for you, but they generally do not carry stock so it would be advisable to phone ahead and ask if stock is available or if a book can be ordered before you visit them.
Another option is to buy an ebook. Most of our books are available as ebooks. Thetitle pages in the Catalogue section of this website will indicate where an ebook is available. To read more about our ebooks and purchase options, refer to the Ebook guidelines tab.
Thinking of buying an ebook? Read this for some useful hints and tips.
Before you click the download button, make sure that you have read through these useful hints and tips on purchasing and accessing an ebook for academic purposes.
Where can I purchase my ebook?
Our ebooks are available from a number of ebook retailers. We recommend Snapplify, a leading educational ebook reading platform, to students using our books. The ebook link on each book’s page (in the catalogue) will take you to the relevant Snapplify page.
Your campus bookstore may also have an online store where ebooks are sold.
What are the benefits of ebooks?
- Mobility – When you choose an ebook you can learn wherever you are and access your content on multiple devices such as your laptop, tablet and phone.
- Convenience – Purchase your ebook today and access it easily. There is no need to drive from shop to shop looking for a copy of your prescribed textbook. Simply purchase your copy, download the recommended ereader and start learning.
- Value for money – Van Schaik Publishers recommends that its ebooks be sold at 10% less than print books. Please note, however, that pricing is ultimately the decision of the retailer.
- Personalisation – Make your ebook your own. Highlight, make notes and adjust the font size (ePubs only) to enhance your learning experience.
What do I need to consider before I purchase an ebook?
It is important to know that you will need to download an app onto your device to read your ebook (unless the platform offers an online reader). This app will house your ebook and enable you to make notes and highlights in your book.
When deciding which retailer to purchase your ebook from, remember to read their recommendations regarding the best devices, ereaders and apps to use when reading their ebooks. In some cases, a device may not be supported and would therefore result in an unpleasant and frustrating user experience. To avoid this, we suggest that you follow the recommendations of the retailer.
The reading experience will differ depending on the platform’s capabilities and whether the book is an ePdf or an ePub (two file types). Van Schaik Publishers strives to create an ebook that functions well on all the platforms we use. The functionality of an ebook is, however, often dependent on the capabilities of the platform. We only produce ePubs of our newest titles, to ensure that the reader can benefit as widely as possible from the ebook experience.
All our ebooks are sold through a third party. If you have any issues with your ebook purchase, please contact the bookstore where you purchased your book to ensure that your issue is resolved as soon as possible.
The 5 steps to buying an ebook
Your chosen ebook retailer will have a guide to lead you through the process, as well as a support desk. We recommend that you look for these steps on your chosen platform and follow the instructions step-by-step, as the process is not always intuitive.
Points to note
When buying an ebook, please take note of the following (it may vary from retailer to retailer):
- The number of times you can download your ebook (if you replace your device, you will want to download your ebook to the new device)
- The number of devices that you can access your ebook on
- The operating systems that the retailer supports
- Whether the retailer supports both online and offline reading, or not
- The length of access (most ebooks offer a perpetual licence, but some ebooks might ‘expire’ after a set period of time)
Resources
Occasionally, a book will be available with student resources. The book will contain references and links to this material.
Many of our books have lecturer support material, but this is not available direct to students. Any attempts by students to access lecturer support material via Van Schaik Publishers will be reported to the student’s lecturer or Head of Department. You may, however, approach your lecturer to ask if any items such as presentation slides are available directly or on your course website.
