Intersting chat with librarian

[Desert_Brat]

Today, I had occasion to contact the library about returning a book early.

Books downloaded from the public library using Adobe Digital Editions can be returned early with just a simple click.

Overdrive Console is used for audio and video files that are checked out from the public library.

I had checked out an audiobook because the waiting list on the regular book was long. Well, I'm done with the book. I couldn't find a way to return it to the library. So I contacted the Live Chat line.

Nothing in the Overdrive Media manual covers this, so the librarian had to take some time to find out why the audiobook couldn't be returned. It's a Bantam Book, but sold by Random House.

Well, it turns out that the publishers will not allow audiobooks to be returned early. They just have to expire. Neither of us could figure out why.

So I asked her if they were caught up in the Harper-Collins things and she said yes; and other publishers have been making overtures as well. She said the publishers have libraries over the barrel in more ways than you can count, it's not just audiobooks.

I've said before that the only way I feel that I can have a personal impact on all this mess with the publishers is with my wallet.

There are a lot of books I read from the library first, and then go out and purchase the paperback so I can have the recipes available any time I want to use them. (I like the culinary mysteries).

So today, I was thinking of doing a little personal protest. Instead of reading and buying the book, maybe I'll just take that cost and round it up to the nearest dollar and donate it to the library. I haven't decided on whether or not to drop a note to one of my favorite authors and say, "Sorry, I'm not reading your books anymore, thank your publisher." But I don't know what good that would do.

[swan480]

Donating to the library is a good idea.  I usually donate books, since that's where all my money is. 

Since Harper Collins went Nazi on us, I've been disregarding their books.  Usually, when I find a book I want to read, I check the price, check if it's at the library, and decide whether I want it bad enough to pay the going price.  Sometimes I suggest a title to the library if they don't have it in ebook and the cost is too high for my budget -- my library usually buys requests right away.  But lately, I check the publisher first, and if it's Harper Collins, it doesn't even make it onto my wish list.  Heaven knows, my reading list is long enough, I forget about books right away if I don't put them on my wish list, so I never even miss the Harper Collins ones.

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

There are two main audiobook formats: MP3 and WMA.

WMA audiobooks expire automatically. Any number of copies can be checked out at once, and there's no reason to "return" them early.

MP3 audiobooks don't have DRM, so they don't expire. In order to control the number of copies that libraries lend out, each MP3 copy can only be lent out once every 2 weeks (or whatever the lending period is) so there's no reason to "return" them early, either.

[RHWright]

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Desert_Brat wrote:

So today, I was thinking of doing a little personal protest. Instead of reading and buying the book, maybe I'll just take that cost and round it up to the nearest dollar and donate it to the library. I haven't decided on whether or not to drop a note to one of my favorite authors and say, "Sorry, I'm not reading your books anymore, thank your publisher." But I don't know what good that would do.

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I think both donating (either in cash or through books, which many libraries then sell for cash) and writing to let publishers and authors know about your displeasure are excellent ideas.

When it comes to the letters, I would just say keep it (relatively) calm and professional. A screaming rant will only get you ignored, even if it does make you feel better.

While a polite letter may still be ignored, it should at least be read. If enough of them cross the desk, they will be taken into account.

What do I mean by polite? Something along the lines of:

Dear Author, I am greatly appreciative of your works, and I have bought and enjoyed reading them through the years. However, recent actions by your publisher, Harper Collins, towards libraries have forced me to decide to not purchase books under their imprints.

etc, etc.

This exerts a lot more pressure and will be considered with more weight than:

Dear moron: you suck. Your publisher sux. I will never buy any of your books. EVER. You are heartless, money-grubbing bastards who hate consumers. So, now we will show our contempt and hate for you.

blah. blah blah.

I repeat: go with version #1.

Most of the time your mom was right: you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

I'm behind those who want to protest and boycott HC and any other publishers taking an anti-library stance. Let's just make sure those actions are targeted and designed for maximum chance of effect.

[ABthree]

@Desert_Brat

I think donating to the library is a great idea; protesting to the authors might be ok, too.

You may end up depriving yourself of books without any effect, though. 

[RHWright]

If you're serious about this protest/boycott/letter writing campaign, a list of Harper Collins imprints follows. Authors are almost too numerous to mention; the big one on my radar would be Neil Gaiman. He is fairly fan-interactive, so I may end up dropping him a tweet or e-mail on the matter. A list of HC authors can be found on their website.

Harper Collins imprints:

Amistad

Avon

Avon A

Avon Inspire

Avon Red

Balzer + Bray

Caedmon

Collins

Ecco

Eos

Greenwillow Books

Harper

Harper Business

Harper Design

Harper Paperbacks

Harper Perennial

Harper Perennial Modern Classics

HarperAudio

HarperBibles

HarperCollins Children's Audio

HarperCollins Children's Books

HarperCollins e-Books

HarperFestival

HarperLuxe

HarperOne

HarperTeen 

ItBooks

Katherine Tegen Books

Rayo 

Walden Pond Press

William Morrow

Zondervan

[swan480]

I wrote to Harper Collins (the main one, not any of the imprints) too.  Calm and professional, as you said, but I gave my reasons for why I think it's a bad decision.  I don't know if it'll do any good, but it's worth a shot.  I have a couple hundred books on my reading list, so I really don't think I'll suffer from depriving myself from HC books at the moment. 

[ellsbells930]

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Desert_Brat wrote:

 I haven't decided on whether or not to drop a note to one of my favorite authors and say, "Sorry, I'm not reading your books anymore, thank your publisher." But I don't know what good that would do.

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That's what I'm going to do.  Publishers don't care if consumers are mad at them -but pushback from their authors will make them take notice.

[ellsbells930]

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ABthree wrote:

You may end up depriving yourself of books without any effect, though. 

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I think we are going to see a lot more independent authors/publishers... we won't be deprived of anything.

[sam_ann]

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swan480 wrote:

Since Harper Collins went Nazi on us...

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I strongly disagree with what Harper Collins is doing, but comparing them to a group of despotic rapists, torturers and mass murderers isn't appropriate. Survivors of the Holocaust's horrors are still with us today, and their descendants always will be. I know you didn't mean it in any bad way though.

[swan480]

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sam_ann wrote:

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swan480 wrote:

Since Harper Collins went Nazi on us...

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I strongly disagree with what Harper Collins is doing, but comparing them to a group of despotic rapists, torturers and mass murderers isn't appropriate. Survivors of the Holocaust's horrors are still with us today, and their descendants always will be. I know you didn't mean it in any bad way though.

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No, you're right, and I didn't mean it that way.  Sorry if I offended anyone -- it wasn't my intent.

[sam_ann]

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swan480 wrote:

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sam_ann wrote:

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swan480 wrote:

Since Harper Collins went Nazi on us...

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I strongly disagree with what Harper Collins is doing, but comparing them to a group of despotic rapists, torturers and mass murderers isn't appropriate. Survivors of the Holocaust's horrors are still with us today, and their descendants always will be. I know you didn't mean it in any bad way though.

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No, you're right, and I didn't mean it that way.  Sorry if I offended anyone -- it wasn't my intent.

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I think a lot of us say stuff like that from time to time. I know I have at least, so don't feel bad. We all need a little nudge sometimes.

On topic, I wish I could believe a boycott could have an effect, but looking at that list of imprints just drives home how immensely powerful and untouchable these corporations are. Take Zondervan for instance. They aren't the only publisher of Christian books out there, but they are BY FAR the biggest. It's close to a monopoly. My mom supports libraries but I don't see her returning any of her 3 copies of The Purpose Driven Life anytime soon. There's a mega church near me that buys copies by the hundreds. That's just one community buying just one title from just one of Harper's many imprints. It boggles the mind. 

In this age of mega corporations we individual consumers are just drops of water in the ocean.