Is It Legal to Sell Study Guides? What You Need to Know Before Selling High School Study Materials

Every year, thousands of high school students scramble for study guides before finals, AP exams, or state standardized tests. Some buy them from their teachers. Others find them online. A few even start selling them-printed booklets, PDFs, or digital flashcards-hoping to make a little extra cash. But here’s the question no one asks until it’s too late: Is it legal to sell study guides?

It Depends on What’s in the Guide

There’s no single law that says, "You can’t sell study guides." The legality hinges on one thing: who created the content and what rights you have to it. If you wrote the guide yourself-based on your own notes, your understanding of the textbook, and your experience in the class-then yes, you own it. You can sell it. You can even sell it on Etsy, Gumroad, or your own website.

But if you copied questions directly from a textbook, pulled diagrams from a teacher’s PowerPoint, or reprinted a publisher’s review sheet without permission, you’re infringing on copyright. That’s not just unethical-it’s illegal. Publishers spend millions developing educational materials. They hold the copyright to their content, including practice questions, chapter summaries, and test formats. Even if you didn’t profit from it, distributing copies without permission violates federal copyright law in the U.S.

Teachers’ Materials Are Off-Limits

Many students think, "My teacher gave me this study guide, so I can share it." Not true. When a teacher creates a study guide using district resources, textbook excerpts, or curriculum materials owned by the school or publisher, they don’t own the copyright. The school or publisher does. If you take that guide, scan it, and sell it online, you’re distributing someone else’s intellectual property.

Real-world example: In 2023, a Florida high school student started selling PDFs of AP Biology review sheets online. The sheets included exact questions from the College Board’s released practice exams. The College Board sent a cease-and-desist letter. The student had to take down the files and refund buyers. No lawsuit followed, but the legal risk was real.

What Can You Legally Sell?

You can sell study guides if they meet these criteria:

• You created the content from scratch using only your own notes and understanding
• You didn’t copy text, diagrams, or questions from textbooks, teachers, or publishers
• You’re not using branded logos, official exam names, or trademarked phrases like "AP Exam Prep" unless you’re licensed
• You’re not implying you’re endorsed by the school, teacher, or testing organization

For example: You aced U.S. History and wrote a 30-page summary of the Civil War era using your own phrasing, timelines you drew, and mnemonics you invented. That’s yours. You can sell it as "My Personal U.S. History Study Guide: Civil War Edition."

But if you call it "Official AP U.S. History Study Guide" or include a diagram from the AMSCO textbook, you’re crossing the line.

Textbooks and Publishers Are Watching

Major educational publishers like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, and Cengage actively monitor online marketplaces. They use automated tools to scan for copies of their content. If your guide matches their copyrighted material-even if you reworded it slightly-they can issue a takedown notice under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). You could lose your listings, get banned from platforms like eBay or Amazon, or even face fines.

One seller on Etsy got hit with a DMCA notice for selling a "Calculus Study Guide" that included 12 problems nearly identical to those in a Stewart Calculus textbook. The seller claimed they "just explained it differently," but the math was the same, the variables unchanged. The platform removed the listing and suspended the account for six months.

What About Public Domain Materials?

Some older textbooks and educational resources are in the public domain. For example, U.S. government publications, like those from the National Science Foundation or NASA, are free to use. You can create a study guide based on NASA’s Mars mission data and sell it. Same goes for classic literature summaries-Shakespeare’s plays are public domain, so your analysis of "Hamlet" is yours to sell.

But be careful. Modern editions of public domain works often include new introductions, footnotes, or formatting that are copyrighted. Just because the original text is free doesn’t mean the version you’re copying is.

How to Stay Safe: A Simple Checklist

If you’re thinking about selling study guides, run through this before you list anything:

1. Did you write every word yourself? (No copying from notes, handouts, or online sources)
2. Did you create your own diagrams, charts, or timelines?
3. Are you avoiding official exam names like "SAT," "AP," or "ACT" in your title or branding?
4. Did you check if your school or district owns the rights to any content you used as inspiration?
5. Are you not claiming affiliation with any school, teacher, or testing body?

If you answered "yes" to all five, you’re likely in the clear. If even one answer is "no," reconsider.

What Happens If You Get Caught?

Most cases don’t go to court. Publishers usually start with a DMCA takedown notice. The platform removes your listing. If you keep selling after a notice, they may report you to your school, your ISP, or even the Department of Education. In extreme cases-especially if you’re making thousands of dollars-they can sue for damages.

One case in Texas involved a student who sold 2,000 copies of a chemistry guide using questions from a Pearson textbook. The publisher sued for $15,000 in statutory damages. The student settled for $5,000 and had to pay legal fees. That’s not worth $5 a guide.

What’s the Alternative?

You don’t need to copy to make money. Many students earn money legally by:

• Creating original video tutorials on YouTube (with clear disclaimers)
• Offering tutoring services and charging hourly
• Selling custom-made flashcards you designed yourself
• Writing blog posts or eBooks based on your own learning journey

One student in Ohio started a TikTok series called "How I Got an A in Chemistry"-using only her own notes and study tricks. She got 50,000 followers, then sold a $7 PDF with her full study system. She never used a single diagram from her textbook. She made $3,200 in six months.

Bottom Line: Creativity Beats Copying

Selling study guides isn’t illegal by default. But copying someone else’s work is. The line between legitimate and illegal isn’t always obvious, but the rule is simple: if you didn’t create it, you don’t own it. Don’t risk your grades, your reputation, or your future over a few extra dollars.

Instead, turn your knowledge into something original. Your notes, your explanations, your way of remembering things-that’s your value. That’s what people will pay for. Not someone else’s textbook.