In follow-up correspondence Hachette spokesperson Sophie Cottrell clarified some additional points relating to its change of terms with ebook distributors to libraries and the “internal systems issue” that apparently delayed OverDrive’s ability to implement the new terms. Hachette reports that they did indeed realize several months ago that OverDrive had not ingested their library ONIX feed, adding “we don’t know why the OD system had more difficulties than others and have been working with them to resolve their issues.” The other library vendors Hachette works with “experienced no delay in ingesting new ONIX and reflecting new prices to their customers” […]
Libraries
Higher Hachette Library eBook Pricing Draws Attention
In an email to customers Thursday afternoon, Overdrive told library customers to expect a substantial increase in prices on the catalog of Hachette Book Group ebooks they make available for library purchase (approximately 3,500 titles released prior to April 2010) by what they said is an average of about 220 percent. (A separate post from the distributor cites sample increases for individual titles ranging from 50 percent to 150 percent.) Overdrive said libraries could purchase ebooks at the old, lower prices up until midnight September 30. What’s missing from many other reports–and the Overdrive letter–is that Hachette says they “had […]
Briefs: Gallimard Officially Acquires Flammarion; Smashwords Set To Provide Self-Published eBooks to Califa Library Consortium; and More
After months on the block, with a number of bidders dropping out and an asking price that nobody wanted to meet, RCS is officially selling French publisher Flammarion to Gallimard — the front-runner all along — for 251 million Euros, nearly 50 million below that original asking price. Reuters reports that RCS will receive about 230 million from the sale, and will post a consolidated gain of 88 million euros. The deal is expected to close in September. A number of publishers met with the European Commission in Brussels Tuesday to call for the streamlining of taxes on ebook purchases […]
New Pew Internet Report Shows Many Americans Don’t Even Know Libraries Offer eBook Lending
Following up on their April report about the overall ebook market in the US, and just in time for ALA, on Friday Pew Internet released a new survey pertaining solely to ebook usage in libraries, surveying 2,986 Americans ages 16 and older at various points between November 2011 and February 2012, with additional qualitative material drawn from a May 2012 survey of over 6500 respondents. 12 percent of ebook readers surveyed by Pew said they borrowed at least one ebook from the library in the past year, with book borrowers also saying they read an average (the mean number) of […]
eNews: Kobo Touch Available in Japan Next Month; Callaway’s HAPPY New Venture is A Lifestyle App; and More
The Kobo Touch will be available for sale in Japan as soon as July, according to a report from the Asahi Shimbun. Rakuten ceo and chairman Hiroshi Mikitani said the company plans to price the Kobo Touch reader at around 10,000 yen ($126) or cheaper, with plans to sell 50,000 ebook titles by the end of the year. “As a Japanese company, we cannot lose (to overseas rivals),” Mikitani told the paper. “With Kobo devices, we will be able to export Japanese content. The Japanese publishing industry will become a huge content industry.” Further details will be announced at a […]
Partnering With 3M, Penguin To Make New eBooks Available Again at NYPL and BPL In One-Year Pilot Program
More than four months after pulling frontlist digital titles from libraries, Penguin will make them available again in August at the New York Public Library and the Brooklyn Public Library in a one-year pilot program with renewable terms. And after parting ways with OverDrive, Penguin will work with 3M on this program which, if successful, could be rolled out to libraries across the country. 3M signed an agreement with the two libraries only this past Monday. Under the terms of the new program, the NYPL and BPL will be able to lend more than 15,000 Penguin frontlist titles with a […]