Mar 08 2012
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Justice Department has warned Apple and Penguin, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster that it plans to sue them for allegedly colluding to raise the price of electronic books by adopting the agency pricing model. The DoJ has been investigating the issue for months.
3/12 Update: An excellent article summarizing the agency model was published in The Guardian today.
Nov 22 2011
Overdrive, which distributes ebooks to libraries, announced yesterday that Penguin Group USA has instructed them to "disable 'Get for Kindle' functionality for all Penguin ebooks". Penguin also told them that "it is reviewing terms for library lending of their ebooks" and has suspended availability to libraries of new ebook releases.
Publishers have been expressing quiet concern since OverDrive added the ability to download books that could be read on a Kindle in September. One of the sticking points appears to be that it was assumed that Overdrive would serve Kindle compatible files directly to patrons, thus protecting patrons' confidential information (as promised by Overdrive in April). Instead, Overdrive sends patrons to Amazon to complete their transaction.
PaidContent.org comments that that while Penguin "is unusual among the 'big six' publishers in that it allows e-books to be borrowed through libraries at all. Macmillan and Simon & Schuster do not distribute any e-books (new or old) to libraries. Hachette Book Group does not allow new titles to be lent as e-books, and HarperCollins allows new e-books to be borrowed only 26 times before the library has to buy a new copy. This leaves Random House as the only big six publisher currently allowing unfettered access to its e-books through libraries."
Nov 23 Update: OverDrive have announced that Kindle availability for Penguin eBooks has been restored in library catalogs, but new releases remain unavailable.
May 31 2011
The unsecured creditors' committee in the Borders Group bankruptcy has asked the judge in the case not to accept Borders's request for a four-month extension of the mid-June deadline for filing a plan to get out of bankruptcy. The unsecured creditors' committee includes representatives from HarperCollins, Random House and Perseus.
Apr 07 2011
A little over 6 weeks ago the Big 6 publisher HarperCollins announced that it would no longer allow library eBooks to be checked out indefinitely. Today it looks like HC might have changed its mind.
Mar 15 2011
The American Library Association yesterday took a position for the first time in response to HarperCollins' new library ebook licensing restrictions, saying "As libraries cope with stagnant or decreased budgets, the recent decision by publisher HarperCollins to restrict the lending of e-books to a limited number of circulations per copy threatens libraries' ability to provide their users with access to information."
There is validity to both sides of the argument - from the publishers' point of view, if they were to sell a print book to a library that book would eventually wear out and need to be replaced, but an ebook could potentially be lent forever thus undermining book sales. From the library's point of view, they argue that Harper Collins' limit of 26 usages is too low and that putting a restriction on usage will limit the adoption of ebooks into libraries. For more on this topic see the New York Times article linked below.
Feb 27 2011
In the first significant revision to lending terms for ebook circulation, HarperCollins has announced that new titles licensed from library ebook vendors will be able to circulate only 26 times before the license expires.... meanwhile, two of the big six publishers in the USA, Macmillan and Simon & Schuster, still do not allow ebooks to be circulated in libraries.
Update March 1: Harper Collins explains its position.
Apr 05 2010
HarperStudio, the unusual imprint founded two years ago by Bob Miller, is being shut down and its books and staff will land at other HarperCollins imprints. In its brief life, HarperStudio published mainly nonfiction, offered low advances with profit-sharing and tried to sell titles on a nonreturnable basis.
Mar 18 2010
Rumors swirled today that Amazon could revoke the buy buttons for books by Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin, or Hachette if the major publishers can't strike an eBook deal with the online bookseller.
The Flower Sisters
by Michelle Collins Anderson
From the new Fannie Flagg of the Ozarks, a richly-woven story of family, forgiveness, and reinvention.
The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
As death stalks a gothic mansion in Miami, the lives of two women intertwine as the past and present collide.
The Funeral Cryer by Wenyan Lu
Debut novelist Wenyan Lu brings us this witty yet profound story about one woman's midlife reawakening in contemporary rural China.
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