paidContent » 3M

Big-5 publisher Macmillan makes many more ebooks available to libraries

Laura Hazard Owen — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 17:12:47 +0000

Less than a year after launching a pilot to make about 1,200 crime and mystery books available to libraries, Big-5 publisher Macmillan confirmed Thursday that it’s opening up the program: The publisher will make all of its backlist ebooks (books older than a year) available to libraries, for a total of about 11,000 titles. Newer ebooks will still not be available.

Via Publishers Weekly:

“Titles will be available to libraries through [digital distributors] OverDrive, 3M and Baker & Taylor, and also Recorded Books for audio. There were no reported changes in the model Macmillan uses or pricing at this time. Once purchased by a library, e-book titles will be available to lend for two years or 52 lends, whichever comes first, and titles in the pilot were priced at $25.”

Macmillan had also expanded the library pilot this summer to include titles from Entangled, the independent romance publisher Macmillan partnered with in January.

The relationship between libraries and book publishers has been fraught, as publishers fear that making ebooks available to libraries will cut into paid book sales. Nonetheless, there’s been progress recently: Penguin, which had pulled all of its ebooks from digital distributor OverDrive in 2012 citing unspecified security concerns, started working with that distributor again late last month.

Random House (now merged with Penguin, but, according to Publishers Lunch, the publishers will retain separate library ebook policies) makes all of its ebooks available to libraries, but at prices as much as three times higher than the retail price. HarperCollins allows its ebooks to be checked out 26 times before the library has to buy a new copy. Hachette makes all its ebooks available to libraries and charges more than the retail price, but a library only has to buy a copy once. Simon & Schuster does not make its ebooks available to libraries.

Penguin will offer its new ebooks to libraries again as of April 2

Laura Hazard Owen — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:11:37 +0000

In 2011, Penguin decided to stop offering new ebooks to libraries, citing “concerns about the security of digital editions.” The publisher then ended its relationship with digital library distributor OverDrive.

Now that Penguin is running ebook trials with two new library distributors — Baker & Taylor and 3M — the publisher has decided it is safe to make new ebooks available for lending again, the AP reported Wednesday. Penguin has been tracking ebook checkouts at libraries to make sure they are not cutting into paid book sales, and found that “the effect of library downloads on commercial revenues has been acceptable.”

“Penguin is proud to make all of our eBooks available to library patrons,” Tim McCall, Penguin’s VP of online sales and marketing, said in a statement. “After careful examination of our pilot programs, we are ready to take the next step and offer what consumers and libraries have been asking for, thus fulfilling our mission to bring new writers to readers.”

In its library trials, Penguin allows an ebook to be lent to only one person at a time, and after a year the library has to buy a new copy of the ebook. The prices for libraries are the same as retail prices. Penguin’s library ebooks aren’t available to Kindle users, because Baker & Taylor and 3M do not yet support the format.

Other publishers also place restrictions on ebook library lending. Random House makes all of its ebooks available to libraries, but at prices as much as three times higher than the retail price. HarperCollins allows its ebooks to be checked out 26 times before the library has to buy a new copy. Hachette only makes new ebooks available to some libraries in a pilot program, and charges more than retail price. Macmillan is running a two-year trial that makes 1,200 older ebooks available to libraries. Simon & Schuster does not make its ebooks available to libraries.

Penguin brings e-books back to NYC libraries in 1-year pilot program (no Kindle yet)

Laura Hazard Owen — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 12:36:16 +0000

Penguin, which removed all of its e-books from libraries and ended its relationship with digital library distributor OverDrive in February, is tiptoeing back into the digital lending waters again. In a one-year pilot program with OverDrive competitor 3M, beginning in August, Penguin will make e-books available to the New York Public Library and Brooklyn Public Library. If that program goes well, Penguin will open up its e-books to libraries across the country.

3M doesn’t currently support Amazon’s Kindle, the most popular e-reader in the country.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the pilot, in an effort to protect paid e-book sales, “will delay the release of e-books to the libraries for six months after the titles go on sale in stores and online.” Christopher Platt, NYPL director of collections and circulation, tells the WSJ “he hopes Penguin might eventually agree to make some titles available immediately, while retaining the six-month delay for hot-selling titles.”

Each e-book will expire after a year and the library will have to buy it again.

Other big-six publishers also have restrictions on e-book library lending, or do not make e-books available at all. Random House is the only big-six publisher that makes all of its e-books available to libraries, but it sharply increased its prices in March. HarperCollins allows an e-book to be borrowed 26 times before the library has to buy a new copy. Hachette is offering new e-books to some libraries, also in a pilot program, but hasn’t confirmed which libraries or distributors it is working with. Simon & Schuster and Macmillan do not make e-books available to libraries at all.

Troubles with Kindle

When Penguin first removed its e-book titles from OverDrive in November 2011, it cited “concerns about the security of our digital editions” and also stopped lending e-books to libraries through Kindle. Specifically, Penguin might have been angry that when a library patron selects “Get for Kindle” on OverDrive, he or she is sent straight to Amazon’s website (rather than checking out the book from within the library site) and has to be logged into his or her Amazon account to get the book.

3M is in talks with Amazon to provide support for Kindle, but it doesn’t do so yet. The Kansas State Library, another library working with 3M, said recently that “Amazon had asked to postpone discussion with 3M until June (back in March) so we are hoping to receive more information soon.”

Hachette is offering new e-books to some libraries

Laura Hazard Owen — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:41:32 +0000

Hachette, which has not made new e-books available to libraries since 2010, is reconsidering the idea. In a pilot program starting this spring (which is…now?), the publisher is working with two e-book distributors to bring a “selection of HBG’s recent bestselling e-books to 7 million library patrons.”

Hachette would not confirm which distributors or libraries it is working with — whether it is partnering with leading digital distributor OverDrive and/or with an OverDrive competitor like 3M Cloud Library or Baker & Taylor’s Axis 360.

“These pilot programs will help us learn more about library patrons’ interests, usage, and expectations,” Hachette said in a statement. “This information will help HBG devise the best strategy to reach the widest audience of e-book readers in libraries. We’ll have more to say once we have looked at the data from the pilots.”

3M’s Matt Tempelis did not verify that the company was working with Hachette but told me, “We are actively working with big-six publishers not fully engaged in library to find models that work for all parties. We have been making great progress towards those ends with several. I am not able to share any specifics at this time, but expect more details will be available very shortly.”

Random House is the only big-six publisher to offer unrestricted access to its titles, though it sharply increased the prices of e-books for libraries this spring. Penguin recently ended its relationship with OverDrive and will no longer distribute e-books and digital audiobooks to libraries — at least until it finds a new partner. Macmillan and Simon & Schuster do not make e-books available to libraries. HarperCollins allows e-books to be checked out 26 times before the library has to buy a new copy.

via American Libraries magazine