Chances are you’ve already heard about the beef between Amazon and Penguin over the sales and lending terms of Penguin e-titles through Amazon’s Kindle lending program. If not, we can recap quickly. A few days ago Penguin came out with a statement saying that it would suspend making digital editions of new books for libraries and that libraries are to lock down any e-titles for Amazon’s Kindle ereader.
“We have always placed a high value on the role that libraries can play in connecting our authors with our readers,” said Penguin in an official statement on Monday, reports HuffPo. “However, due to new concerns about the security of our digital editions, we find it necessary to delay the availability of our new titles in the digital format while we resolve these concerns with our business partners.”
While many are blaming Amazon for the revocation of already-sold titles, it may not be the digital retailer’s fault. Amazon has released a statement saying that it was totally uninvolved in the actions that Penguin took in collaboration with OverDrive, an e-book supplier service, to freeze the titles. According to BoingBoing, The American Library Association had said the following:
Penguin Group’s recent action to limit access to new e-book titles to libraries has serious ramifications. The issue for library patrons is loss of access to books, period. Once again, readers are the losers.
If Penguin has an issue with Amazon, we ask that they deal with Amazon directly and not hold libraries hostage to a conflict of business models.
This situation is one more log thrown onto the fire of libraries’ abilities to provide access to books – in this case titles they’ve already purchased. Penguin should restore access for library patrons now.
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Penguin Shuts Down Libraries’ Access To New E-Titles On Amazon’s Kindle
