Overdrive new selection going downhill

[mikaelalind]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

• Macmillan and Simon & Schuster don't allow any ebook lending
• Hatchette and Penguin don't allow frontlist ebook lending
• Random House is clamping down on reciprocal libraries
• HarperCollins has a 26x ebook loan limit

The Big 6 are cutting their own throats. If they keep it up, libraries will turn more and more to indies; and those authors are just as good as the majors.

I agree that the Big 6 are cutting their own throats. Thanks to the library I have discovered several authors that I have put on my auto buy list. And I don't think I am the only one.

[kiwipippa]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

• Macmillan and Simon & Schuster don't allow any ebook lending
• Hatchette and Penguin don't allow frontlist ebook lending
• Random House is clamping down on reciprocal libraries
• HarperCollins has a 26x ebook loan limit

The Big 6 are cutting their own throats. If they keep it up, libraries will turn more and more to indies; and those authors are just as good as the majors.

Almost all my favourite authors are published by one of these (surprise, surprise). So maybe I'll have to explore some new authors as well.

But I won't be tempted by all those "Vegetarian cooking for Linux programmers" and "How to get your child to sleep in 10 easy steps" (it doesn't work) books.

[tecweston]

I see anywhere from 0 to 4 books added to my library's website every week. About once or twice a month there will be something I'm interested in, but mostly it's romance novels and children's books that get added. I'm sure for people who like either of those genres, library ebooks are a wonderful thing, but more than half of the books that have come out in the last year that I've had any interest in purchasing were not available through the library.

[Sydney's Mom]

I like contemporary romances and current bestsellers, fiction and nonfiction. That pretty much describes the Chicago Public Library, but they kicked out their reciprocal borrowers.

My local ebook selection this month was about 25 books, and included 6 transgender nonfiction books and 2 gay romances. The rest were travel or children's books. Luckily, I was able to take advantage of the Harlequin sale for romance, and I put a bunch of pbooks on hold at the library. Don't know what I am going to do about 11/22/63 though. Still waiting for it to come down to $12.99 (the new $9.99).

[issybird]

I'm seeing the nosedive in readable Overdrive titles as a blessing in disguise. I was too likely to put books of marginal interest on hold, and then felt compelled to read them when it was my turn. The timing on availability was always lousy, too, and blew out all my planned reading. And then Alachua County* kicked me out, and it hurt for a while, but....

I've discovered I'm eligible for a Boston Public Library card, which I hadn't known. I'm going much more slowly this time, though. Only books I really, really want to read have gone on hold.

Seriously, the upshot of all of this is that I'm turning back to pbooks. Most of what I'd want to read from the elibraries I can get from the local university library. So be it. I've got enough on my readers to tide me over when I strongly prefer to read on a device (in bed, out and about), and I can await developments and stop reading carp on my readers in the meantime.

*No complaints about Alachua County. It was lovely while it lasted and they owed me nothing at all.

[elemenoP]

Amongst the "Everything" books, romances, and dog breed books, my library just acquired a whole bunch of contemporary and classic Japanese literature! Probably around 50 titles. Go figure! Also a bunch of PD James.

eP

[AnemicOak]

Looks like Penguin is cutting availability of audiobook titles now too (much like BrillianceAudio already did)...

http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/...iobook-titles/

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

Looks like Penguin is cutting availability of audiobook titles now too (much like BrillianceAudio already did)...

They're not the only game in town. I'll just borrow something else and their authors will suffer from a lack of exposure.

[anamardoll]

Speaking of, if people here aren't using Podiobooks, they are AWESOME.

Public domain books narrated by indie narrators who do a better job than some of the pain narrators out there.

And for all the authors on MR, you can snag a narrator for YOUR book in the forums there. So cool.

[calibrated]

Despite the example of the music and film industries, publishers still haven't learned that unrealistic pricing combined with restricted availability leads to *more* piracy, not less. Amazing.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Speaking of, if people here aren't using Podiobooks, they are AWESOME.

I go there every now and then.

[Joykins]

The Maryland digital library consortium just added a slew of Disney Digital Books. These are readable in a browser, interactive, and available anytime, and my kid find them interesting, but I don't see the point in using up one of my 4 checkouts for 7 days to get a kid's book that takes them about 5 minutes to read.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Joykins

The Maryland digital library consortium just added a slew of Disney Digital Books. These are readable in a browser, interactive, and available anytime, and my kid find them interesting, but I don't see the point in using up one of my 4 checkouts for 7 days to get a kid's book that takes them about 5 minutes to read.

Only 4 checkouts? That's pretty severe.

[Joykins]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Only 4 checkouts? That's pretty severe.

Yes, and the books are seriously about 15 pages. With mouse pointers that exude sparkles! Beginning reader stuff. I really don't see why they can't allow unlimited checkouts for the always available stuff.

[Hellmark]

Wow, St Louis County Library, allows 10 simultanious checked out books, and as soon as you return one, you can grab another.