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With most college students still opting for printed textbooks in lieu of electronic ones, publishers are taking aim at an unlikely demographic in order to make e-books look cool: slackers. CourseSmart, a consortium aimed at marketing and selling e-books on behalf of the four top textbook companies, has teamed up with the website CollegeHumor.com to hold an essay contest in which participants are asked to boast of their slacker bona fides. “We’re looking for the smartest slacker,” explains a spokesman for CollegeHumor — a popular destination for procrastinating students — in a promotional video on the site. “We want to hear your story of the smartest, cleverest, most creative academic shortcut you’ve ever taken, short of cheating.” The winner of the contest will get $1,000 and a year’s worth of e-book access from CourseSmart, as well as the privilege to have his or her story immortalized in a short, animated video on CollegeHumor.com. CollegeHumor.com, started by two college freshmen in 1999, has seen its brand blossom in recent years. It now publishes original content and hosts 3.3 million unique page views each month.
