Selling study materials online can be a lucrative way to earn extra income, but it’s crucial to understand the legal implications and potential pitfalls. This comprehensive guide explores the legality of selling study guides, the types of materials you can sell, where to sell them, how much to charge, and how to protect your work from piracy.
Alt text: An illustration depicting online law and legal considerations.
Navigating the Legal Landscape: Is Selling Study Guides Legal?
This article does not constitute legal advice. It is important to determine the legality of selling study guides and study materials before selling online. Whether selling your study notes is legal is dependent on the content of the notes and what country or state you are in. Generally, selling study notes is not illegal if:
- No Copyrighted Material: The notes do not contain copyrighted material (e.g., images of slides, copyrightable text, recordings) without proper licensing.
- Original Work: The notes are your own, sufficiently transformed from the original lecture or seminar, paraphrasing rather than copying verbatim.
- Personal Use License: Your license states the notes are for personal study or educational purposes, not for competing institutions or services.
- Proper Citations: All citations are accurate, and sources are clearly identified.
Meeting these criteria typically classifies your study guides as original work, allowing you to sell them freely. Obtaining permission from the lecturer or institution is always advisable. Note that copyright may be shared if the notes were created collaboratively.
Some jurisdictions may have specific regulations. For example, California prohibits sharing educational notes in its education code. While federal copyright or freedom of expression laws might potentially supersede state law, this is a risky proposition.
Institutional policies may also differ from the law. Many colleges prohibit selling study notes, which could lead to disciplinary action. When in doubt, consult a lawyer before selling.
Alt text: A visual representation of selling educational materials, highlighting profitability and accessibility.
What Kind of Study Materials Can You Legally Sell?
The following materials are generally safe to sell legally:
- Lecture/Seminar Notes: Notes taken during lectures or seminars.
- Personal Study Guides: Study guides you’ve crafted, devoid of copyrighted material.
- Example Coursework: Example assignments, provided they haven’t been submitted and are explicitly not for cheating or plagiarism.
- Book Summaries: Summaries of books or textbooks with permission/license from the copyright holder or if the book is in the public domain.
- Practice Materials: Your own practice questions, flashcards, etc.
Examples of Study Materials
- Amazon Knet quiz and summary
- AP physics formula sheets
- AAMC practice tests, F02 practice tests, NREMT practice tests, Servsafe practice tests
- Nissan NNat exams, FISDAP readiness exams, Pharmacology Paxpat exams, Biochemistry ACS exams
- acbeth Act 4 review questions
- SAT practice test answers, Webce test answers, Everfi answers, NIHSS certification test answers
- Pharmacology lecture notes
- AP US history and world history notes
Where to Sell Study Guides Online: Platforms and Considerations
Several platforms allow you to sell study notes and guides online, each with its own features and payment models. When choosing a platform, consider payment structure, piracy protection, and payment frequency.
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Studypool
Studypool allows users to offer services like tutoring and writing, in addition to selling notes and guides.
Legitimacy: Studypool is legitimate, but its earning potential can be opaque. Sellers might earn up to $10 per note “Unlock,” but payment calculations are unclear. Uploading grants Studypool full copyright, including modification and redistribution rights. They can also make up to 50% of your notes permanently free. A minimum $50 balance is required for withdrawal.
Piracy Protection: Studypool displays the first few pages as images before unlock, which is insufficient if the notes are short. Users can download unlocked notes without piracy protection.
StuDocu
StuDocu is a platform where students upload and read notes, also offering AI tutoring.
Payment: StuDocu doesn’t pay for uploads. Instead, approved documents earn a 14-day premium membership.
Piracy Protection: Premium members can download content without digital rights management (DRM), allowing easy sharing. Non-premium users can also download content via browser developer tools or extensions like StuHack.
Stuvia
Stuvia, established in 2010, allows users to sell notes, summaries, exams, and flashcards. It filters by school and course and sells documents directly.
Legitimacy: Stuvia lets sellers set their prices and takes a commission. Earnings per sale are displayed (typically 50-60%), and a $10/£10 minimum withdrawal applies. Sellers retain copyright.
Piracy Protection: Stuvia provides no protection; documents are delivered as standard PDFs, easily shared.
OneClass
OneClass sells class notes, textbook notes, study guides, homework help, and solutions. It has an application process for note-takers, offering gift cards and official status.
Legitimacy: Seller experiences vary. Official note-takers can earn $370-470 per course per semester. Contributors get up to 20% of subscription revenue. However, some report non-payment or payment only in gift cards, with poor communication and cancellation issues.
Piracy Protection: Users can freely download and share unlimited notes each month.
Knowt
Knowt is an AI-powered note-taking and quiz platform that lets you sell notes.
Legitimacy: It pays “up to $12” per study unit or $15 for reviewing, plus a free premium subscription. Caveats include unclear payment determination, granting the company full copyright, and limited legal recourse.
Piracy Protection: No protection exists; notes can be easily copied and pasted. Knowt even offers a “Export to PDF” function.
Nexus Notes
Nexus Notes focuses on an extensive free catalog. Premium subscriptions ($18/month) are needed for longer notes.
Legitimacy: Authors are paid a percentage of monthly revenue based on how many subscribers add their notes. Earnings are not guaranteed. Once uploaded, notes cannot be uploaded elsewhere for three years, and copyright is forfeited.
Etsy
Due to issues with dedicated note-selling sites, many use Etsy. Fees are reasonable for digital products (around 12.5% per sale, including payment processing fees).
Legitimacy: Increased revenue retention, but discovery can be challenging due to lack of specific categories and school filters.
Piracy Protection: Etsy has no built-in protection; sellers must implement their own.
Payhip
Payhip is a platform for selling digital downloads. It has an education category and allows dedicated store pages.
Legitimacy: Transaction fees range from 0% to 5%, depending on the plan. Payhip credits funds immediately with no minimum withdrawal. Some report issues with store removals for content violations and slow support.
Piracy Protection: Download limits and PDF stamping with email addresses are offered, but these are easily bypassed.
Your Own Website
Selling on your own website offers full control over content presentation, avoids competition, and allows you to keep 100% of the revenue. You can also implement your own protection, such as DRM. Challenges include marketing and lack of support.
Alt text: A conceptual graphic representing a personal website tailored for the sale of study materials.
Pricing Your Study Notes: What’s the Right Amount?
Pricing effectively requires considering:
- Demand: High demand and low competition allows for higher prices.
- Fees: Account for platform fees when pricing.
- Competition: Assess the quality of your product compared to competitors.
- Target Audience: Consider what your audience can afford.
Across platforms, sellers typically charge $5-20 per item.
Lecture/Course Notes
- Secondary education: $5-10
- Higher education: $5-50
- Qualifications: $10-40
Science-based courses often command ~$3-10 more. Prices in the $40-50 range are typically for entire academic year or course bundles.
Flashcards
Flashcards range from $7 to $25, with basic options on Stuvia and nicely designed cards on Etsy.
Exam Paper Summaries/Guides
Exam summaries generally sell for $8-15. Sought-after exams might reach $50+, but these often include answers, which can be problematic.
Book Summaries
Book summary prices vary, typically between $7 and $20. Fiction falls on the lower end, while summaries of complex textbooks are higher.
Study Guide Bundles
Bundles for entire courses command higher prices. Lower-quality bundles on Stuvia contrast with high-quality bundles on Etsy ($20-80).
Exam Questions and Answers
- Example exam questions/explanations: $10-30.
- Real exam questions with answers: $10-50 (potentially up to $1500).
Selling real exam questions could lead to trouble.
Essays
Essays are generally low-value, listed at $7-10, but a few reach $25.
Theses
Theses are even less valuable, typically priced at $10-20.
Protecting Your Study Guides: Avoiding Piracy
Many platforms have high fees or misleading practices, making it difficult to earn. Selling on Etsy or your own website can maximize profit, but protection is crucial. Students often share purchased material, reducing sales.
Implementing a document DRM solution is the best approach. DRM encrypts your study notes, ensuring only licensed users can open them. It also prevents copying, editing, screenshots, printing, and unauthorized sharing.
Alt text: A visual representation of enterprise DRM illustrating layers of security and control.
How Locklizard Protects Study Materials:
- Choose a PDF file and open it in the Safeguard Writer application.
- Select desired rights management controls, such as restricting printing and screenshots, setting expiry dates, and adding watermarks. Editing, saving, and copying are automatically prevented.
- Publish the document and add users or groups in the admin portal, automatically emailing license files.
- Users install the license file and dedicated Locklizard viewer application. The license is tied to their device.
- The user opens the document in the viewer application. The content is decrypted only in memory. The viewer enforces controls against printing, screenshots, copy-pasting, and saving.
- You can revoke access at any time for documents or user accounts.
The result is that every sale represents one student.
Key Takeaways for Selling Study Materials Online
- Legality: Ensure your content doesn’t infringe on copyright or violate institutional/state codes of conduct.
- Content: Decide on study guides, notes, flashcards, etc., weighing demand and your expertise.
- Platform: Most platforms have high fees. Etsy or your own website allow you to retain more revenue and control distribution.
- Pricing: Price between $5 and $50, but avoid selling real exam answers.
- Piracy Protection: Note-selling sites usually allow unrestricted downloads. DRM is crucial to prevent piracy. PDF stamping is ineffective.
FAQs
Can you sell study guides?
Yes, many platforms enable you to upload notes for money. You can also sell from your own website.
Can you make money selling study notes?
Yes, but it requires effort. Choose the right platform and DRM protection.
Can you sell study notes on Etsy?
Yes, as long as they don’t infringe on copyright.
Can you get paid to take exam notes?
Yes, sites like KnowtTaker enable you to get paid for writing and reviewing exam notes.
How much money can students make selling study notes?
From $0 to thousands per month, depending on material, demand, DRM usage, and listed products.
Can Locklizard protect notes in non-PDF formats?
No, Locklizard only protects PDF files and attachments.
Can Locklizard protect handwritten notes?
Yes, use an application like Adobe Scan to convert them to PDF and then protect them with Locklizard Safeguard.
Do I need to ask my professor before I sell my notes?
Yes, to be safe, consult with your professor and educational institution.
Can I sell my study notes on social media?
You cannot directly sell digital content on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. But you can link to services like Etsy or Payhip.
Do download limits and PDF stamping prevent piracy of notes?
No. Users can edit and redistribute downloaded notes. PDF stamping can be easily removed.
