Amazon to launch Library Lending

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

I strongly disagree. Opening up library services to more people leads to more readers which eventually leads to more sales; especially where series are concerned. Wait times may also positively effect sales, as those with the means to buy, and lack of patience with waiting, end up buying a copy, instead of "standing" in a queue.

Will millions of free reads lead to millions of additional sales?

And the cost of books is still a factor until the paperback editions are published. Many people balk at paying $12.99 for an ebook. Their (wait) time may be worth it especially when you can put many ebooks on hold at the same time.

[Kitabi]

Could someone please throw light on the technical details of how Amazon is implementing this.

If the libraries are not supposed to buy new copies of the books and Amazon is providing library books in AZW format and DRM, are they lending out copies from their own servers or are they providing Overdrive with some "on the fly" format/DRM conversion tools?

On the other hand, if libraries start making purchases of new books from Amazon, would they be converted to EPUB/ADEPT for those not on the Kindle bandwagon?

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Will millions of free reads lead to millions of additional sales?

Maybe. Whose to say. Even when I was a regular library patron, I bought more books than I ever borrowed, because I wanted them "now".

Originally Posted by Fbone

And the cost of books is still a factor until the paperback editions are published. Many people balk at paying $12.99 for an ebook. Their (wait) time may be worth it especially when you can put many ebooks on hold at the same time.

I agree, I don't buy hardcovers for that very reason; but, I did buy the paperbacks, and will buy the e-books provided the prices are right for me (in my case its $9.99 or less).

Half of the books on my current wish list are suggestions from my kid's media specialist at school (for whom I volunteer). She knows I'm a full on fantasy/supernatural and scifi fan, who has no problems reading novels intended for young adults. She has given me full library rights (since I'm there everyday), but why would I take a book from the kids when I can order them on my Kindle.

I still don't see how preventing a group of people from using the library is going to help anyone.

[carld]

Originally Posted by Kitabi

Could someone please throw light on the technical details of how Amazon is implementing this.

No one knows any of the technical details. We're all waiting to see how they implement this.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jocampo

Competition is always there, but companies need to give interesting solutions to customers in order to win market and survive. Everything is about business.

People like Amazon because it's awesome customer support. If you add that to a great product like Kindle 3, the result is people choosing Kindle instead of Nook or Kobo, even Sony.

I love B&N stores and spending time there reading or with my wife, but Kindle eink reader is better than 1st gen Nook. Moreover, there are less "horror stories" about problems returning a defective Kindle than a similar customer returning a defective Nook.

What Amazon is doing is stealing features from other readers. Lending it stole from B&N and library eBooks it stole from all those other readers using ADE.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by FizzyWater

I don't know how I feel about this.

Right now, CLEVNET has ebooks they own in PDF *and* ePub *and* Mobipocket formats.

Plus...what will this mean to the already alarming wait times?!

It will mean years instead of months.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What Amazon is doing is stealing features from other readers. Lending it stole from B&N and library eBooks it stole from all those other readers using ADE.

It's called offering services customers want. Like how B&N came out with the Nook to sell books from its store, or how Sony finally added wireless.

All successful companies do this.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What Amazon is doing is stealing

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

As a Kindle fan, I don't care where the idea originated...just that I'll have what looks like a very functional and perhaps superior systems at my fingertips.

Apple didn't originate smartphones or tablets either, but look at those results they reported yesterday.

[RockdaMan]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It will mean years instead of months.

Link?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Here's an article from Library Journal where the Kansas State Librarian discusses the issue. She provides specific details.

http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/new...eball.html.csp

I know this may sound anti-Kindle, but it's not.

Is this fee increase due to the Kindle about to have library eBook access? Is Overdrive raising fees so the work to integrate the Kindle will be paid for by the libraries and not Amazon or Overdrive? I am suspicious with the timing of these increases and the announcement.

(Stasiewski noted that the company's overall national checkout number for 2011 was rapidly approaching the total checkouts for 2010. "We are at one checkout per second, which is something we haven't seen before.")

If these numbers are part of the reason for the fee increase, then what's going to happen when the Kindle has library eBook access? Will this cause Overdrive to raise fees even more?

The Kindle will finally have library eBook access and no libraries to afford to offer them.

Originally Posted by Piper_

It makes sense that increased circulation will result in increased fees, but circulation was rising steeply already and was going to continue. They said that here in 2011, they were already almost at 2010's total levels.

Choices and adjustments need to be made all around, but they were already coming.

Will it be a net burden or benefit?

It depends on what matters most to tax payers (which includes kindlers) and how well the funds are managed. I hope they're managed well, because I think we'll all benefit from increased popularity of ebooks in libraries.

But what it sounds like it that the fees are going to keep going up and up to the point where the libraries won't be able to afford any additional content. So the libraries will just have stagnant content if they agree. This is not good. We already have a lot of libraries that do not purchase all that much content as it is. To raise the fees in such a dramatic way will cause them to stop with new content or have to do away with digital content. We don't want this. This is not good. And I think the Kindle coming on board is only going to exacerbate the issue. If it's because of how much content is being served, then libraries may very well have to say no to the Kindle or fear even higher increases.

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What Amazon is doing is stealing features from other readers. Lending it stole from B&N and library eBooks it stole from all those other readers using ADE.

I respect your opinion, but I disagree.

Stealing something is taking an object without permission or using an exact software or implementation for commercial purposes, without paying for royalties or working on the proper legal agreements. None of those are the case here.

Amazon will pay, get an agreement, in order to provide the same service other companies already have. There is nothing wrong on that, is business. Is like opening a Hamburguer place in front of McDonals or Burger King. Same burger concept, but different store. Amazon will provide the same lending feature but using their own concept or ereader device: Kindle.

And can I say something? Please don't get me wrong. You sounds really "anti Kindle" and your postures and comments are more Kindle centric that really defending or making comments about the whole lending issue. I don't use Public Library features but as a book's lover, I'm really happy for those Kindle users that will be able to.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I know this may sound anti-Kindle, but it's not.

Is this fee increase due to the Kindle about to have library eBook access? Is Overdrive raising fees so the work to integrate the Kindle will be paid for by the libraries and not Amazon or Overdrive? I am suspicious with the timing of these increases and the announcement.

The fee increase is because their use of OD has increased 10x what it was in 2006 (the fees have stayed the same even though usage has increased). OD has to pay Adobe every time a DRM license is created for a book, I don't know what fees get paid to MS for the DRM on WMA audiobooks.

If these numbers are part of the reason for the fee increase, then what's going to happen when the Kindle has library eBook access? Will this cause Overdrive to raise fees even more?

If downloads increase then I would suppose fees would too.

[Piper_]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What Amazon is doing is stealing features from other readers. Lending it stole from B&N and library eBooks it stole from all those other readers using ADE.

So you've been castigating Amazon all this time for not switching to epub, even though by your logic, it would have been "stealing". tsk tsk.

Why, only just yesterday, you said this:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And if things go like we think they will, this means that instead of the library getting say 20 titles in a purchase, they'll be getting 10 titles instead because they also have to support the Kindle. This is not going to do well overall. And I don't think libraries will be happy when they purchase something in say ePub or Kindle only and then have the other camp complaining to them.

Overall, the best solution would be for Amazon to support ePub with the time limited DRM. Then because of that, users will push for full ePub support and then we can kiss AZW goodbye. That would be awesome.

[Nyssa]

Originally Posted by Piper_

So you've been castigating Amazon all this time for not switching to epub, even though by your logic, it would have been "stealing". tsk tsk.

Uh Oh Piper, you're using logic!

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Nyssa

Uh Oh Piper, you're using logic!

You would think that she knew better