Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Penguin suspends ebook library lending

AP reported earlier today that Penguin Group has suspended making e-editions of new books available to libraries and won't allow libraries to loan any e-books for Amazon.com's Kindle e-readers and tablets.

Why? "We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers," the publisher announced in a statement Monday according to AP. "However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners."

You could only wonder if this is really the issue here or it's actually about revenues, or more specifically lost revenues Penguin is worried about. Somehow I got the feeling that a financial arrangement will sort this out, not an extra safeguard on Penguin's digital editions.

More updates on ebook lending can be found on our ebook lending page.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Plant a tree for every book you read!


1 comment:

E-books said...

eBook publishers can hold some advantages over regular publishers. A reader's desired book won't be out-of-stock on a Website, as it could be in a physical store.