Comments on: Penguin Ends E-Book Library Lending And Relationship With OverDrive

By: Lee Wells

Lee Wells — Sun, 06 May 2012 17:11:32 +0000

Penguin is also the publisher that forced e-book sellers (Amazon and Banes and Noble) to raise prices above the $10 pricepoint that was doing so well. They are a party along with Apple in a price-fixing lawsuit, one in which they are one of a very few that did not settle.
The problem is that e-books can be a boon for the industry, not a hindrance to sales. If I buy an e-book, it’s because: it’s easier to carry than a paper book, it’s one I like, it’s one I can’t find to borrow from a library, it’s an author I really like, and the price is better than the publisher’s idea of a list price. If I can get them easier and cheaper, I will buy them.
I believe that libraries must participate in digital media to survive. You won’t find a brick and mortar DVD rental place anymore, and at some point, the e-book patrons will force the publishers to change.
It’s just that these (shortsighted) guys think in terms of hardbook sales, which have the best margin. But, I would rather sell 1000 widgets with a $1 profit than 50 with a $5 profit….
The only way to influence the debate is to refuse to buy Penguin’s books….I hate to lose access to some favorite authors, but I don’t see another way.

By: Over 2/3 of U.S. libraries offer e-books; 28% lend e-readers — paidContent

Over 2/3 of U.S. libraries offer e-books; 28% lend e-readers — paidContent — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:28:59 +0000

[...] House’s e-book price increases than it does on the fact that four of the big-six publishers offer no e-books to libraries at all. “No one is quite sure where the ebook–library relationship is going,” the report [...]

By: Pickin Grinnin

Pickin Grinnin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:09:31 +0000

The real problem here is that publishers don’t understand libraries, ebooks, piracy, the realities of DRM, or even the Internet itself. They don’t want to accept the changing marketplace and shifting customer needs, because doing so would force them to put some work into changing a business model that no longer works. Moves like this don’t help anyone.

By: bas2112

bas2112 — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:19:56 +0000

As a librarian, I must disagree with you from what I see everyday. I work in an affluent community, one in which people presumably have the means to have computers and internet access at home. We still have a line at the door every morning when we open up, and I hate to break it to you, but it’s not all just elderly, poor, and insane. There are some people who use our computers and laptops every day, spending hours inside the brick and mortar. Not everyone a) has the money or b) thinks it’s wise to just consume consume consume without previewing materials (also CDs and DVDs in additions to books) first. As far as the ebooks go, Amazon for instance has horrendously bad customer service, especially for people who like to actually speak to a human on the phone, and the ereaders they sell come with next to no instructions. Where do people go for help with their kindles? That would be the brick and mortar library. It’s not going anywhere, although some people seem so utterly fond of saying that it is going away.

That said, every move by publishers like this creates a barrier to access, and elimination of such barriers is a core aspect of library service. I have a feeling that Penguin’s moves in particular were orchestrated as a response to the tabling of SOPA, but ironically increased barriers to access = increased piracy.

By: noreen o'gara

noreen o'gara — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 21:18:08 +0000

Actually quite a bit of “friction” in downloading & moving to my eReader – guess no one at Penguin is using a library to read ebooks!

By: Katherine

Katherine — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 17:29:40 +0000

You library system must have much more money than mine. My local library buys multiple copies for the initial “New book” must read fever and then weed them down as demand goes down. Same for DVDs and CDs. They don’t keep buying new. They patch and repair for years.

By: Kiki

Kiki — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 16:49:13 +0000

“Any library I’ve ever walked into in recent years typically has 3 kinds of patrons (in most cases): The elderly who grew up with libraries, underprivledge families with children, and mentally challenged folks. And the library is mostly empty. As harsh as that sounds, I believe it to be true.” Wow, “eBooks, I don’t know where you live, but that is NOT the state of the libraries in the city I live in (Birmingham, Alabama)!! Here, libraries are well used by all sorts of folks. I see families, homeschoolers, kids from local schools studying, people using the internet, people reading, etc. not the dead, sort of dysfunctional picture you’ve painted at all! I have been visiting libraries all my life, as have my children, and I am not elderly, either!
In response to the article. Penguin’s reasoning makes no sense. We (my kids and I) use a Kindle and a Sony eReader, but we are all still quite willing to read actual books, as well. So to me, there is little difference between a DTB or an a eBook from Penguin from the library. Except that, given the new circumstances surrounding Penguin’s unwillingness to deal with libraries, I will certainly think twice before buying a Penguin book in the future. And I DO reread. I don’t own a copy of Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier, but I have read it twice and was considering buying a copy for my Kindle. Now, I am rethinking it. I might look for a used hard copy…

By: Reader

Reader — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:04:20 +0000

Publishers complain about piracy, then they pull crap like this. Here’s the deal. People have ereaders. They want ebooks. Big name ebooks cost too much. Publishers won’t let libraries loan their new, in demand books. Readers go online and find a place to download for free. The world has changed. Publishers, as well as movie makers, need to get with the program.

By: eBooks

eBooks — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 14:27:11 +0000

Yes, some books are re-read; however, I would highly doubt most books are. And I would imagine that Penguin has the stats to back that up. The argument that reading an eBook first then purchasing the hardcopy if you like it is absurd and most certainly the minority. Common sense would say so. It’s a flimsy argument.

Unfortunately, the brick and mortar library with it’s physical books is coming to an end, maybe not tomorrow, but most certainly in the near future. Any library I’ve ever walked into in recent years typically has 3 kinds of patrons (in most cases): The elderly who grew up with libraries, underprivledge families with children, and mentally challenged folks. And the library is mostly empty. As harsh as that sounds, I believe it to be true. Romanticizing the public library as though it is the valued institution it once was will only make the proponents and advocates out there more cynical as more and more libraries close and/or loose funding and public support. eBooks, eReaders, Online Catalogues, mobile apps, are here to stay. For better or worse.

For the record, I prefer a hard-copy over digital but our kids don’t.

By: Jean

Jean — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:30:40 +0000

Penguin should reconsider.
I have actually checked out the electronic version of books that I own
so that I can read things I know I like in doctor’s waiting rooms. I see far too many doctors and they are
rarely on time.