Fifty Shades of Red

The title for this post is stolen from Christopher Harris’ recent blog entry on the state of ebook pricing as it relates to libraries losing their purchasing power with the proliferation of formats and the current publishing industry’s pricing models.

This blog entry is illuminating, especially considering how often we at the Pollard Reference Desk, like any public library, get requests for the latest bestseller (whichever book it may be). Said bestseller is invariably already checked out with a long wait list. Therefore raising frustration on the part of the patron, and sad apologies from the reference staff.

Harris is the director of the Douglas County Library System in Colorado and he lays out a chart outlining their cost/return for the month of July 2012 for one title only the outrageously popular Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James

Total cost to date: $3742.09, or $4,198.77 including audio CD and Playaway versions. For one title.

You’ll notice the difference between the retail cost of an ebook as opposed to the library cost. Harris has a wonderful statement about three main factors that prohibit libraries from fulfilling their mission in the ebook world:

“Two of them are are ownership (the ability to have physical possession of a file, the better to preserve and manage it), and integration (the ability to provide some polish and convenience to the user experience). But the third factor is equally basic: cost. Right now, publishers and distributors (in this case, Random House and OverDrive) have driven up the price of an ebook so far that it really doesn’t make sense for libraries to buy it.  People who read ebooks don’t stop reading paper; if anything, they seem to read more in all formats. People who listen to audiobooks, however, don’t seem to shift platforms as easily. But clearly, the cost for these formats is as bad or worse than ebooks.”

This shows again that there hasn’t yet been an effective and efficient model for lending in the digital realm. And it’s important for you as a library patron to keep in mind that libraries and publishers are still trying to work out a  business model for lending in a digital realm that works well for both sides. In the meantime the waiting list grows for bestsellers and there’s not much to be done about it. We appreciate your patience.