Three main factors in textbook selection for distance education--readability, appropriateness, and availability--are examined in detail, and suggestions for adapting standardized texts to the needs of individual groups are provided. Twelve specific criteria are listed for determining the appropriateness of a text and textual factors influencing readability are discussed, including legibility of print, illustrations, vocabulary, conceptual difficulty, syntax, and organization. The use of readability formulae and general results of readability analyses of texts in English, mathematics, science, and social science are briefly described. Specific directions for administering readability analyses are not provided, but a readability checklist is included. Guidelines for producing study guides for textbooks cover arousal and motivation, cognitive structuring, goal definition, signposting, activation, feedback, transfer and retention, and evaluation and assessment. A cost-effective distance education package is outlined that would include a 10-page subject outline, text(s), tape(s) and correspondence. (LMM)