Why aren’t some books available to download?
Publishers often restrict or refuse to sell eBooks to libraries. Below you'll find a list of the most popular publishers and their policies.
- Unlike an individual consumer, a library cannot pay Amazon or Barnes & Noble for an eBook and then lend it out.
- EBooks are treated differently than print books by publishers and the companies who manage digital content licensing.
- Publishers who do sell eBooks to libraries usually place restrictions on the books and/or sell them at exorbitant prices.
|
Publisher |
Sells eBooks to Libraries? |
Notes |
Examples of Authors/Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hachette Book Group | NO* |
Discontinued sale of eBooks published after April 2010 to libraries. *There is a backlist of 3,500 older titles which libraries can buy, but Hachette recently doubled those prices. |
|
| HarperCollins Publishers | YES | Allows 26 check-outs per eBook, after which a new license must be purchased. |
|
| Macmillan | YES |
Limited titles available. Licenses for each title will expire after 2 years or 52 check-outs, whichever comes first. |
|
| Penguin Group | NO | Stopped selling ebooks to Overdrive (the company that runs My Media Mall) in late 2011. |
|
| Random House, Inc. | YES | The price of a library eBook is five to six times the consumer price. |
|
| Scholastic | NO | n/a |
|
| Simon & Schuster | NO | n/a |
|
So What Can I Do About It?
You can contact each publisher to let them know what you think.
Hachette Book Group
466 Lexington Avenue #131
New York, NY 10017
(212) 364-1100
customer.service@hbgusa.com
HarperCollins
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
212-207-7000
Macmillan Publishing
75 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 226-7521
customerservice@mpsvirginia.com
Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-2000
ecommerce@us.penguingroup.com
Random House
1745 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
(212) 782-9000
Customer service web form
Scholastic
557 Broadway
New York, NY 10012
1-800-SCHOLASTIC
Customer service web form
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 698-7000
Customer service web form