Pressbooks Overview
1 What You Can Do with Pressbooks
Pressbooks is online software that enables you to design and format any kind of book, and share it in multiple formats, including:
- PDF: for reading on a digital device or printing
- EPUB: for Apple iBooks, Nook, Kobo, Kindle and most other ebook platforms
- Webbook: for reading on a digital device in your browser
Pressbooks is used by independent authors, small and medium-sized publishers, and educational institutions around the world. All book formats are produced using templates that are optimized to look great in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. File exports produced with Pressbooks can be exported and downloaded from Pressbooks and distributed or shared however you like. The advantages of Pressbooks include:
- A simple, familiar interface
- Professionally-designed book files, without complex software
- Unlimited ability to edit, update, and (re)export books
- Ability to collaborate with other authors and editors
- A variety of book formats
- Complete control over your own content
What is a “webbook”?
Pressbooks webbooks are website versions of your book that can be distributed for free to the public. Many use Pressbooks webbooks to produce and distribute open educational resources (OER). Unlike PDFs and ebooks, webbooks are a live version of your book that doesn’t need to be exported or downloaded.
Pressbooks produces a web version of every book. You can view yours at any time by clicking the Visit Book link underneath the title of your book in the top menu. However, your Pressbooks webbook is Private until you change the Global Privacy Setting to Public.
How to access Pressbooks
British Columbia and Yukon faculty and staff
BCcampus Open Education provides a self-serve instance of Pressbooks called the British Columbia/Yukon Open Authoring Platform for faculty and staff at post-secondary institutions in B.C. and Yukon. This is a free service.
To create an account for the British Columbia/Yukon Open Authoring Platform, faculty and staff must use their institutional email address. A list of accepted email domains are below.
- acsenda.com
- adler.edu
- alexandercollege.ca
- bcit.ca
- camosun.bc.ca or camosun.ca
- capilanou.ca
- cnc.bc.ca
- coastmountaincollege.ca or nwcc.bc.ca
- columbiacollege.ca
- coquitlamcollege.com
- corpuschristi.ca
- cotr.bc.ca
- douglascollege.ca
- ecuad.ca
- etoncollege.ca
- fraseric.ca
- jibc.ca
- kpu.ca[1]
- langara.ca
- lasallecollegevancouver.com
- necvancouver.org
- nic.bc.ca
- nlc.bc.ca
- nvit.bc.ca
- okanagan.bc.ca
- pcu-whs.ca
- questu.ca
- royalroads.ca
- selkirk.ca
- sfu.ca
- tru.ca[2]
- twu.ca[3]
- ubc.ca or mail.ubc.ca
- ucanwest.ca
- ufv.ca
- unbc.ca
- uvic.ca
- vcc.ca
- viu.ca
- yorkvilleu.ca
- yukoncollege.yk.ca or yukonu.ca[4]
If you are an instructor or staff member from a private post-secondary institution that is not listed here, contact BCcampus OpenEd Support for account set-up assistance.
Everyone else
If you are at a post-secondary institution outside of British Columbia and the Yukon, you may be able to access Pressbooks through your local institution or regional organization. Review our list of Pressbooks Catalogues to see if there is a Pressbooks instance available for you.
The Rebus Community also provides Pressbooks access to faculty and staff from post-secondary institutions around the globe, provided they are a Rebus member. To join, create a Rebus Community account and fill out the Rebus Community Press – Request for Access form.
Lastly, individual accounts are available one a subscription basis through Pressbooks.com. See Pressbooks Plans and Pricing.
- KPU hosts its own instance of Pressbooks at https://kpu.pressbooks.pub/ ↵
- TRU hosts its own instance of Pressbooks at https://pressbooks.tru.ca/ ↵
- TWU hosts its own instance of Pressbooks at https://books.twu.ca/ ↵
- On the register page, note that Yukon College is included in the “B.C. Institution” drop-down menu. ↵
An instance of Pressbooks located at pressbooks.bccampus.ca. It is maintained by BCcampus and made available for free to all faculty and staff at post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and the Yukon.