Cory Doctorow: eBook durability is a feature, not a bug

guardian.co.uk: "HarperCollins' attempt to ensure ebooks in libraries can only be loaned out 26 times is indefensible ... "

HarperCollins's Open Letter to Librarians Shows That They Just Don't "Get It"

John Marwell's letter appears on Library Love Fest: "We spent many months examining the issues before making this change. We talked to agents and distributors, had discussions with librarians, and participated in the Library Journal e-book Summit and other conferences. Twenty-six circulations can provide a year of availability for titles with the highest demand, and much longer for other titles and core backlist. If a library decides to repurchase an e-book later in the book’s life, the price will be significantly lower as it will be pegged to a paperback price point. Our hope is to make the cost per circulation for e-books less than that of the corresponding physical book. In fact, the digital list price is generally 20% lower than the print version, and sold to distributors at a discount."

Will HarperCollins program print editions of books sold to libraries to spontaneously combust after 26 reads?

Another point: Setting aside the ridiculous notion of limiting usage on a sold edition of a book, the idea of digital prices being arbitrarily pegged 20% lower than hardcover or paper prices is equally absurd. In this way the cost of traditional print, paper and bind dictates the cost of e-editions? The tail wags the dog?

Waterstone's Starts Selling Hachette eBooks Again

theBookseller: "Waterstone's is now selling Hachette titles as e-books after removing them two months ago when the publisher switched to agency terms. The move means Waterstone's is on agency terms with both HarperCollins and Hachette, though has yet to the new terms with Penguin. However, the retailer has now stopped offering Card points on all of its e-books, paving the way for agency terms across its entire range of e-book titles."

link.me: A Tool to Help Publishers Connect with Readers Through Mobile Devices

PW: "For more than a year, a startup company whose backers include Andrew Barlow, founder of the online competitive intelligence company Hitwise, has been working with HarperCollins to develop and refine a method to help publishers use mobile devices to connect with readers. Started in Australia but with an office in New York, that company, QMCodes, is now hoping to turn its link.me platform into an industry standard. ... "

Amazon UK Makes Switch to Agency Terms with Three Publishers

Seems the big boys continue to insist on shooting themselves in the digital feet. theBookseller.com: "Amazon.co.uk has moved on to the agency model in the UK with publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Penguin now setting their own e-book prices. Customers buying an e-book from the Kindle store from any of the three publishers are told: 'This price was set by the publisher.' A Penguin spokesperson said: 'I can confirm we are now on the agency model with Amazon as of today.' Penguin and HarperCollins have followed Hachette, which switched to agency pricing in September. Amazon is the first online e-bookseller to make the switch, with no Penguin or Hachette e-books yet available for sale on either Waterstones.com or W H Smith's website. ... "

HarperCollins Thriller Sells More in eBooks Than in Hardcover

WSJ: "Laura Lippman’s thriller, I’d Know You Anywhere, went on sale Aug. 17, and in its first five days sold 4,739 e-books and 4,000 physical hardcovers, said News Corp.’s HarperCollins Publishers. 'This is the first book of ours of any consequence that has sold more e-books than hardcovers in the first week,' said Frank Albanese, a senior vice president at HarperCollins. 'What we’re seeing now is that if a book gets a good review, it gets a faster lift on the digital side than it does on the physical side because people who have e-readers can buy and read it immediately.'"

LibreDigital Acquires Symtio Platform From Zondervan (Harper Collins)

From Dianna Dilworth at eBookNewser:

Digital distribution company LibreDigital has acquired the Symtio e-commerce platform from Zondervan, a HarperCollins company. ...

LibreDigital was one of the first big players to handle conversion, warehousing and distribution for eBooks and was endorsed by Apple as a "Certified eBook Aggregator" for the iPad back in April.

Adding the Symtio platform will give LibreDigital e-commerce capabilities and the ability to sell eBooks, audiobooks music and video online. ..

As part of the acquisition LibreDigital is adding the Symtio e-commerce technology, existing e-commerce contracts and applications, as well as some e-commerce staff.

This could give LibreDigital a good position in the digital distribution business. In a press release, Brian Murray, President/CEO of HarperCollins Publishers said, "LibreDigital is well-positioned to become the de-facto standard for publishers seeking to increase sales across new and existing digital marketplaces." ...