E-Borrowers, Beware

Publishers are turning away from lending e-books to libraries, a policy that is resulting in lost sales, both for them and their authors. 

E-books, unlike, printed books, last forever, and because they don’t decay, they don’t compel libraries to order new copies to replace the old. An opportunity for a sale is hence, lost. 

When the borrowing and the return of a e-book is as easy as the flipping of a switch, there is no incentive for a reader to purchase a copy of it from a bookstore. With a paper book, however, one would much rather buy a title than have to face the inconvenience of making a return trip to the library. The reader’s inconvenience, therefore, becomes the publisher’s opportunity to make a buck. 

Plus, a single copy can, in theory, be in circulation at any given time, among unlimited patrons. Why would a library need to order any more than a solitary copy in that case? Another opportunity for a sale is again, lost. 

(Via The New York Times)