"As digital collections grow, Mr. Sargent said he feared a world in which “pretty soon you’re not paying for anything.” Partly because of such concerns, Macmillan does not allow its e-books to be offered in public libraries."
I suspect Mr. Sargent failed kindergarten. You know - sharing and getting along with others.
My Seattle Public library has about 17,000 eBooks:
- half PDF
- one quarter MobiPocket
- one quarter ePub
But, Seattle is a high tax, liberal area, with some of the highest book reading rates in the country.
I think MacMillan will do great - for a while. And then crash. Too much short term thinking, trying to force fit an archaic system on a new environment, and angering customers with self-serving policies.
Unfortunately, Mr.Sargent will be amply rewarded for destroying the future of his company.
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