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Publishing house Macmillan is backing off a controversial policy restricting e-book sales to libraries, 

 in a letter to librarians, authors, illustrators and agents on Tuesday that "There are times in life when differences should be put aside."

The idea was to boost general e-sales, rather than e-lends, in the weeks after a book's publication. Macmillan CEO John Sargent said at the time that library lending was "cannibalizing" e-sales and compared it to the movie business, where films make most of their money on opening weekends.  

In response to what they called an "embargo," libraries protested and collected signatures. Some even boycotted Macmillan. 

 Tuesday, the American Library Association welcomed the reversal, saying, "Equitable access to digital content is more important than ever as libraries continue to serve their communities amid rapidly changing circumstances. Macmillan's return to its original lending terms signals a new starting point for all publishers to consider how they can work with libraries to ensure – and expand — access for all readers."   

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The Thread® - Books and Literary News

The Thread

Rose Friedman

Author

At a time when libraries are closed because of the coronavirus, Macmillan has reversed a policy it adopted last fall limiting the e-books it would sell to each library just after publication.

Publisher Macmillan backs off policy restricting e-book sales to libraries

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