E-book distributors report that major publishers are reviewing their e-book partnerships with libraries as a possible way to explore new revenue opportunities.
According to a report in Library Journal, these publishers are looking at new ways to grow e-books sales within institutions and this means a lot of experiments, such as running free checkouts of select titles for limited time periods. For instance, HarperCollins worked with OverDrive to allow 6,500 libraries and schools unlimited checkouts for the e-book, Nancy Clancy: Super Sleuth by Jane O’Connor, for two weeks in September, 2013. Here is more from Library Journal:
For publishers, it seems like a low-risk, high-reward promotion. The reviews are in, hardcover sales have already tapered off after one year, and then thousands of libraries, in communities throughout the country, prominently feature the title on their websites and promote the book and the author via reader recommendation, potentially lifting consumer sales of an author’s other work. In the case of Nancy Clancy: Super Sleuth, the title is also the first book in a series, which could encourage readers to purchase subsequent titles after getting hooked.