Giant Legacy Publishers Screw Libraries: Only Amazon Can Stop Them
Big publishers are screwing public libraries, but here’s an idea how Amazon could put a stop to them — and help readers, authors and itself at the same time.
PROBLEM #1: Some big publishers — Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin — refuse to sell any ebooks to libraries.
The excerpt below, from an open letter by American Library Association President Maureen Sullivan, summarizes the issue:
“It’s a rare thing in a free market when a customer is refused the ability to buy a company’s product and is told its money is “no good here.” Surprisingly, after centuries of enthusiastically supporting publishers’ products, libraries find themselves in just that position with purchasing ebooks from three of the largest publishers in the world. Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin have been denying access to their ebooks for our nation’s 112,000 libraries and roughly 169 million public library users.”
This article from Media Bistro: ALA President Challenges ‘Discriminatory’ eBook Policies has her entire open letter.
Read it. Get pissed.
PROBLEM #2: Some big publishers — Random House, Hachette — have doubled or tripled the price of an ebook to libraries.
In March of this year Random House increased the library wholesale prices of the ebooks by 300 percent! Then in September this year, Hachette jacked up ebook prices for libraries by 220%!
Their conduct is the literary equivalent of old-time segregationists standing in the schoolhouse door. In this case, it is the poor of all colors who suffer the most. And the lack of books further serves to block the efforts of people to educate themselves.
As ALA’s Sullivan writes:
“Librarians have a particular concern for vulnerable populations that may not have any other access to books and electronic content, including individuals and families who are homebound or low-income. To deny these library users access to ebooks that are available to others – and which libraries are eager to purchase on their behalf – is discriminatory.”
SOLUTION #1: Amazon Kindle Book Loans
Amazon allows Kindle book customers to loan any of the books they own to another user. Amazon should make the widest possible inventory of Kindle books available to libraries at the lowest possible price. If a library is designated as a Kindle customer, then the library can loan the ebook just like any other Kindle ebook owner.
SOLUTION #2: Amazon Indie Authors
Undoubtedly, some of the mega-giant legacy publishers might refuse to sell to Amazon if it created a library loan/sale system. Of course that’s like slashing their own throats. But, legacy publishing has already been engaged in a long-term suicide pact, so that could happen here as well.
In that case, the huge number of Indie ebooks made available through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing arm could all be made available through agreements and incentives with the Indie author/publishers.
I would personally donate 112,000 single copies of all my ebooks — one for every U.S. library.
Partly because I think it’s right.
And partly because I believe it is in my long-term interest.
First of all, it costs nothing to donate those books — most of which were originally published in dead-tree versions by legacy publishers.
I see those free books as promotion. My experience with libraries is that they rarely buy only one copy of a popular book. So, I’d price further sales of my books to libraries at half or maybe one-fourth of regular retail.
I like my chances with libraries. My books have been very popular there. This piece explains that for just one country: Bless The Dutch Libraries!
SOLUTION #3: Amazon Kindle Select
In addition, Amazon has a “Select” program that pays authors for books that are borrowed for free by its Prime customers. Even though the borrowing is free, I’ve made up to $2.72 per book loan.
There is a catch, of course. In order to be eligible for payments for book loans, the book must be exclusive to Amazon. I wrote about that here: The Amazon Conundrum.
A “Library Select” program would need to be different. Based on what other authors want and what Amazon things would be appropriate, the library select version of an ebook could come with a link that would allow a library borrower to buy the book, perhaps at the library rate or something similar.
PROBLEMS = Missed Opportunity. SOLUTIONS = Long-Term Growth
Of course, many library patrons are not poor. A lot of them will read books and want their own copies.
And those who are currently economically challenged will not be forever.
Both those categories are the fans and customers of today and the future. The big legacy publishers do not see the opportunity and cannot see libraries and their patrons as a path to long-term growth.
Will Amazon?
