Thursday, September 26, 2013

Penguin Group eBooks

If you remember, back in November of 2011, Penguin Publishing stopped licensing their eBooks to libraries via OverDrive. Well...

GOOD NEWS!  Penguin Publishing has rejoined the list of leading publishers allowing library lending of eBooks via OverDrive, our Digital Library vendor.  More than 17,000 Penguin eBooks are available for libraries such as East Central Regional Library to license for our Digital Library.
 
Penguin Group Publishing titles will follow the one copy/one user lending model, and libraries will be able to circulate each copy they license for 12 months (1 year).  Popular new releases will be priced at $18.99 per copy.  Backlist favorites will range from $5.99 -$9.99 per copy.   After 12 months, ECRL will have to purchase an additional license in order to retain the title in our eBook collection

eBooks published by Penguin Group include many favorite authors such as:
  • Nora Roberts
  • Tom Clancy
  • Patricia Cornwell
  • Charlaine Harris
  • Lee Child
  • Iris Johansen
  • Christine Feehan
  • Kathy Reichs
  • Clive Cussler
  • W. E. B. Griffin
  • Harlan Coben
  • AND MANY MORE!
Also, remember that you can always suggest titles you wish to see added to ECRL's Digital Library via the Recommend to Library feature.

Library lending of eBooks is an ever-changing world, and the tide is turning in our favor.  When ECRL launched eBooks in November 2011, 5 of the 7 biggest publishers did NOT allow library lending of eBooks.  Today, 5 of the 7 biggest publishers DO allow library lending of eBooks in some manner.  Keep track of which major publishers allow library lending of eBooks at the blog post “Why can’t I get this eBook from ECRL?” 

Sarah Hawkins, Branch Librarian, Chisago Lakes Area Library

3 comments:

Donna Larson at Rush City said...

Great and good news, Sarah. Thanks for keeping us updated!

Corey Frank said...

Just curious, are these prices comparable to physical book costs?

This seems high considering it is a 1 year license for $19 per copy. This to me is the problem with eBooks. Although, as a books popularity goes down, so does the cost (looks like older books range from $6 to $10 per year). It also removes storage costs. But the costs still seem high to me.

But I only have experience purchasing books retail at books stores.

Sarah Hawkins said...

Good question! There is a lot more variance in prices for print materials. Brand new books from the popular authors on this list could be anywhere from $5.00 for a mass market paperback-$40.00 (or more) for a hardcover book. eBooks don't carry the costs of proccessing (materials and staff time).