Smashwords titles head for Libraries

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by crossi

How much would a system like Overdrive cost to implement? The US library system could fund it for the entire US. The cost to implement the system would be made up in avoiding OverDrives costs.

Keep in mind a chunk of the OverDrive costs are costs any system is going to have. The thousands of dollars to implement Adobe Content Server and the thousands annually to run it (plus build a website frontend). Then there's the $.08 per book DRM fee Adobe gets. At least some of the increased OD costs most library systems saw the past couple of years were from the increased number of checkouts as more people used the system. You won't get rid of that part of it even by going it on your own.

[crossi]

Running, much less setting up, any system would be expensive but spread over the entire US library system including schools it might be affordable. And do they have to use Adobes DRM and not a US library DRM? Looked at long term it might be less expensive than a constant drain to Overdrive and Adobe. Years to set up and implement I know but it's something for them to look at.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by crossi

And do they have to use Adobes DRM and not a US library DRM? Looked at long term it might be less expensive than a constant drain to Overdrive and Adobe. Years to set up and implement I know but it's something for them to look at.

A non-Adobe DRM would require buy-in from device vendors. Adobe DRM has the advantage that it works on pretty much anything that isn't a Kindle. A new DRM wouldn't, unless you could persuade all the device/app makers to support it.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by crossi

Running, much less setting up, any system would be expensive but spread over the entire US library system including schools it might be affordable. And do they have to use Adobes DRM and not a US library DRM? Looked at long term it might be less expensive than a constant drain to Overdrive and Adobe. Years to set up and implement I know but it's something for them to look at.

There is no US Library system, they're all independent or part of a small regional coalitions.

If not Adobe DRM then you have to get current manufacturers like B&N and Kobo to add support to their devices for another scheme, which they then need to provide customer service support for and develop reading apps for phones and tablets. Plus in the US if you want feature parity somewhat with OD you need to get Amazon to support your system too since that's a large amount of US checkouts and also develop & support websites for participating libraries. Not saying it's a horrible idea, just that it would take a lot and nationwide might be too big of a scope.

A few libraries have broken away from OverDrive to do their own setup, not sure of the status on those right now. Some have gone with 3M or Baker & Taylor's library options.


This project in Colorado might be a first step in the type of system you're talking about...
http://www.evokecolorado.info
http://evoke.cvlsites.org

Info on Douglas Counties solo eBook program...
https://ebookadvocacy.wordpress.com/...-county-model/

[cromag]

Originally Posted by crossi

Running, much less setting up, any system would be expensive but spread over the entire US library system including schools it might be affordable. And do they have to use Adobes DRM and not a US library DRM? Looked at long term it might be less expensive than a constant drain to Overdrive and Adobe. Years to set up and implement I know but it's something for them to look at.

Seriously, there really is no US library system. School libraries (that I'm familiar with in New Jersey) are funded through school budgets. Public libraries may be either municipal, joint partnerships of municipalities (I used to volunteer with the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township), county wide (with municipalities having the right to opt-in or opt-out), etc. Colleges and universities are responsible for their own libraries, and they are (for the most part) fiercely independent in that regard. And that's just my state. The other states have their own systems.

[crossi]

Originally Posted by cromag

Seriously, there really is no US library system. School libraries (that I'm familiar with in New Jersey) are funded through school budgets. Public libraries may be either municipal, joint partnerships of municipalities (I used to volunteer with the Joint Free Public Library of Morristown and Morris Township), county wide (with municipalities having the right to opt-in or opt-out), etc. Colleges and universities are responsible for their own libraries, and they are (for the most part) fiercely independent in that regard. And that's just my state. The other states have their own systems.

Yes, I know. But for something like this a national coalition would be needed. Local libraries couldn't afford to develop it on their own. Local library systems and schools could choose to buy into it or not. Just like they sign up with Overdrive or not.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Of interest is that, unless the library goes out of their way to flag the books as indie, there should be no way for patrons to tell the titles apart.

And lo and behold, it is Overdrive ghettoizing the indie titles to protect librarians from accidentally stocking an indie title:

http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/0...theyre-ghetto/

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

And lo and behold, it is Overdrive ghettoizing the indie titles to protect librarians from accidentally stocking an indie title:

http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/0...theyre-ghetto/

OverDrive isn't playing nice!

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

OverDrive isn't playing nice!

They get the bulk of their money through tradpub sales. Somebody probably picked up the phone and voiced...concern...

Looks like Konrath's library venture is going to have a clean field for his attempt to get indie titles into libraries.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

They get the bulk of their money through tradpub sales. Somebody probably picked up the phone and voiced...concern...

Looks like Konrath's library venture is going to have a clean field for his attempt to get indie titles into libraries.

That was my point when writing the blog article I wrote--there are other options and there will be more options, so some upfront notice would have been very nice. Of course, it's quite possible that Smashwords wasn't even told.

I'm really hoping that some of these secondary companies are able to become an Overdrive competitor. Overdrive is too expensive (and I mean the software/leasing agreement with libraries) and that is before the cost of the actual books. It's hampering progress. I feel this way about most library software. The checkin/checkout software is written like it's for a government entity--very expensive with cumbersome reports and a price that goes up all the time.

[jersysman]

That's messed up that you can't even find them as a result of a Search unless you know the" super secret handshake decoder invisible code". In about a year OverDrive will say that because they did not produce the results that they thought, they will no longer provide them.

[BearMountainBooks]

Mark Coker chimed in on another site that picked up Nate's article. It is implied that he did not know smash titles were going to be cordoned off. And in my defense, I don't think my post on the topic was inflammatory at all (Nate picked up part of my post). Really, his isn't what I'd call inflammatory either.

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/06/20...comment-219911

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Mark Coker chimed in on another site that picked up Nate's article. It is implied that he did not know smash titles were going to be cordoned off. And in my defense, I don't think my post on the topic was inflammatory at all (Nate picked up part of my post). Really, his isn't what I'd call inflammatory either.

http://www.thepassivevoice.com/06/20...comment-219911

I haven't read your post, but I read Nate's (with your post quoted). I thought they read as annoyed rather than inflammatory.

That said, I dare say Mark Coker is getting a lot of heat over this, and that may have made him a bit over-sensitive.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by avantman42

I haven't read your post, but I read Nate's (with your post quoted). I thought they read as annoyed rather than inflammatory.

That said, I dare say Mark Coker is getting a lot of heat over this, and that may have made him a bit over-sensitive.

Mine may have come across as annoyed. Mostly disappointed. But in all honesty, other than Nate using "Ghetto" and me using "Scarlet Letter" the posts are accurate and not really inflammatory. I think overdrive pulled a fast one. As one commenter said in that same thread that I just linked to--they splash Author Solutions' Books on overdrive right there with self-published books and those two things are not the same category. There are also many ways to get on overdrive for self published authors that end up in the normal pool. So they make a statement by doing it that way and not a positive one.

I do work with my librarians--and not just on projects involving my own books!

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by avantman42

I haven't read your post, but I read Nate's (with your post quoted). I thought they read as annoyed rather than inflammatory.

That said, I dare say Mark Coker is getting a lot of heat over this, and that may have made him a bit over-sensitive.

The timing can't have helped his blood pressure much, coming on a day Amazon had a throwaway line in the FireTV that points out they have way more exclusive titles (500,000) than Smashwords has titles (~280,000). (The old "what's mine is mine, what's yours is negotiable" scenario.)

Can't be happy with the nameless "librarian" behind the fiasco.