Simon & Schuster announced today that, effective immediately, ebooks from its catalog would be made available to libraries nationwide irrespective of whether or not the library participates in the publisher’s “Buy It Now” merchandising program. By lifting the previously required “Buy It Now” stipulation, an even greater number of libraries across the United States can now choose to acquire for their collections ebook editions of such beloved classic favorites and current bestsellers as The Old Man and the Sea, Steve Jobs, Revival, All the Light We Cannot See, Hard Choices, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the Mortal Instruments and Dork Diaries series.
“Since we first began offering ebooks to libraries, we have been gratified by the enthusiastic response and valuable feedback we have received from our partners in the library community,” said Carolyn Reidy, President and Chief Executive Officer of Simon & Schuster. “We very much look forward to serving the broadest possible segment of the library community in order to bring our ebooks to their patrons, while at the same time we hope libraries will consider ‘Buy It Now’ as a new and viable option to generate revenue for the library and provide a service for their patrons.”
As announced previously, each Simon & Schuster title acquired by a library for lending is usable for one year from the date of purchase. The library can offer an unlimited number of checkouts during the one-year term for which it has purchased a copy, although each copy may only be checked out by one user at a time. All of Simon & Schuster’s frontlist and backlist titles that are available as ebooks are eligible for the program, with new titles being made available simultaneous with their publication.
For the convenience of patrons who might not want to wait until a popular new title is available, and to help support libraries, the “Buy It Now” capability gives the patron the option to purchase a copy of Simon & Schuster eBooks through a library’s online portal, with a portion of the proceeds from each sale going to the library.
Simon & Schuster ebooks are distributed to libraries through 3M, Baker & Taylor and Overdrive.
ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER
Simon & Schuster, a part of CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com
