Why Can't I Find eBooks I want? Pt. 2
March 12, 2012
After posting my last blog on this topic, I realized there are other important aspects that affect the availability of eBooks. One important factor is that authors often switch publishers. This means that I can buy Smokin’ Seventeen and Explosive Eighteen of the Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich but, unfortunately, her earlier titles are unavailable. Why? It's because the last two books were published by Random House, but all the preceding books were published by St. Martin’s Press, which is an imprint of Macmillan.
Another problem we’re running into is that many authors’ earlier titles may not yet be in electronic format, or there may be a strange pattern to the availability. For some series, I can buy books 1, 2, and 3 then 6, 7, and 8, but the publisher has not reformatted books 4 and 5 into electronic form. It drives me crazy, as I am sure it does to you!
And just to give you fair warning, we may not have as many copies of a title from Random House in the future because the per-item-cost has risen so significantly. One title jumped from $23 to $105!
Many of you asked for contact information so that you could reach out to the publishers who are refusing to sell or license eBooks to libraries. I’ve included this information below. You can write, call, or email the publishers to let them know what you think!
-Amy Fisher
Information & Reader Services Manager
Macmillan Publishing
75 Varick Street
New York, NY 10013
(212) 226-7521
customerservice@mpsvirginia.com
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
(212) 698-7000
http://simonandschuster.com/about/contact_us
Hachette Book Group
466 Lexington Avenue #131
New York, NY 10017
(212) 364-1100
customer.service@hbgusa.com
Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 366-2000
ecommerce@us.penguingroup.com
HarperCollins Publishers (Only allows 26 checkouts per copy)
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
(212) 207-7000
feedback2@harpercollins.com
Comments
Just so you know, you CAN
Just so you know, you CAN check a book back in early. This option is available in the library view on Adobe Digital Editions (I'm using a Nook). Other devices should have a similar option available though. MCPL is working to provide e-book training to both staff and patrons. Hopefully the whole system is more intuitive in the future.
Thanks for providing this
Thanks for providing this information. It can be a hassle to locate it on the respective publishers' websites.
There is another issue with
There is another issue with library ebooks as well. They are checked out for 3 weeks whether it takes 3 days or 3 weeks. I am not a quick reader but I don't need 3 weeks. Which takes even longer when you're waiting on a book to check itself back in. 3 weeks times 18 people ahead of me is over a year away! Yikes! I've yet to be able to immediately check out an ebook due to waiting lists.
The publishers are going to have to realize times are changing and it shouldn't be any different for the library to buy a digital copy or a physical copy. There may be less replacement since digital copies won't wear out, but other than top titles how many replacements does the library go through when there are books on the shelf that are 20 years old or older?
eBook Loan Periods
Not all eBooks are checked out for three weeks. When checking out an eBook, you have the option of selecting your lending period. You can choose to check out a title for seven, 14, or 21 days.
As someone else mentioned, you can also return eBooks early. The process varies slightly based on the device you are using. You can learn how to return eBooks early by going to OverDrive Help at: http://help.overdrive.com/?Sup=http://mcpl.lib.overdrive.com/Support.htm. Type "return eBook" in the Search box on this page. Links to several articles about returning eBooks will display. If you have a Kindle device, you can also access information on returning titles at: http://www.mymcpl.org/_uploaded_resources/23-0029_Returning_a_Kindle_eBo....
for Kindle books. Log into
for Kindle books. Log into your Kindle account on Amazon and "return library lend". I particularly like this feature as I don't have to make an extra trip to the library to return a book and someone else can read it immediately.
Post new comment