E Books

Publishers and libraries are at odds over how to satisfy the public's craving for electronic books. How they resolve this thorny issue will have a tremendous impact on readers. Fearing potentially crippling losses, publishers are withholding e-books from libraries, charging them more than other customers, or limiting how many times a library can lend an e-book. That bumps into librarians' unwavering commitment to promote literacy, preserve culture, and make books available to people regardless of their financial situation.

Three of the nation's largest publishers agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Justice Department alleging that five publishers and Apple Inc. conspired to fix prices consumers pay for e-books. Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference in Washington that publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster agreed to let retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble set the consumer prices of their e-book titles. The proposed settlement, which must be approved by a federal judge, upended a business model that had increased the prices of many best-selling e-books from $9.99 to as much as $12.99 or $14.99.

When best-selling horror author Stephen King released a new novella that could be accessed only on the Internet, it felt like the equivalent of an earthquake rippling through the publishing world. But was this a real revolution, or merely irrefutable proof of an unquestioned fact - that the book-reading world loves Stephen King, and especially loves getting his new stuff for free? Was the release of Riding the Bullet a signal event, the "killer app" that would cause bibliophiles to abandon their hardcovers and paperbacks in favor of e-books?

A Burlington County librarian has become a leader in a crusade against a major publishing house that has set a limit on how many times its e-books may be borrowed from public libraries. HarperCollins advised libraries in March that they would have to repurchase an e-book after it had been checked out 26 times, a move that has drawn widespread criticism and has cash-strapped libraries concerned about the cost of stocking the increasingly popular electronic books. Some of the publisher's own authors have called on it to end the policy, which the company said was necessary to keep the business viable.

Toting around a clumsy paperback is a daily chore for Esther Sears, who gobbles up a few pages here and there every time she can - even during her routine walks to and from the bank on Route 45. But with the recent introduction of electronic books, or e-books, at the Gloucester County Library where Sears works, the 51-year-old business office clerk can carry around a small hand-held gadget and access up to five books at once. "I think it's great," Sears said. "I can't think of anything better than to go to the Internet, download whatever books you want, and have five books in one place.

As e-books continue to grow in popularity, more and more people are visiting the Free Library of Philadelphia or logging on to freelibrary.org to check out our digital titles. While we currently offer more than 32,000 e-books for download - and are continually working to expand our digital collections - many of our customers wonder why they can't find the latest e-book bestsellers from Jennifer Weiner, Jeffrey Eugenides, or a host of other acclaimed authors. After all, the Free Library has plenty of physical copies of books by those same writers.

The editorial cartoon projected above keynote speaker Jeff Bezos' head in the Grand Ballroom didn't need an explanation, and the founder of Amazon.com didn't provide one. "I can't figure out how you caught malaria," a puzzled doctor says to a feverish, sickly looking patient. "Well," the patient replies, "I did order that mosquito off Amazon.com " The booksellers in the audience laughed, and Bezos chuckled - actually, he honked - with them. Nearly a thousand strong, mainly owners or employees of independent bookstores, they had come early for the opening educational days of BookExpo America, the annual gathering of about 30,000 book-industry professionals held here at McCormick Place last weekend, a rite of spring in which publishers display and sell their fall and winter wares, and booksellers scrutinize and buy them.

The story of P.K. Sindwani and his suburban Philadelphia bookstore is a saga of the beleaguered bookselling industry: good intentions, crazy times, and anyone's guess as to how things will turn out. For nearly two decades, Sindwani had done well at his shop near Ursinus College. But in 2010, with an anchor supermarket dying next door and the industry transforming at an exasperating pace, things got so tough that the onetime accountant and lifelong book lover was planning an exit strategy.

As the techno revolution shook book publishing last weekend at BookExpo America here - all the e-books casting come-hither looks and sales assistants promising to download or print-on-demand your grandmother, M&Ms, your much-rejected novel, anything you want - a few subversives mounted rearguard actions. The folks running the "Guerrilla Marketing for Writers" booth, using nothing more complicated than a large paper pad and black Magic Marker, operated one diversion at the nation's annual gathering of publishing professionals that proved plenty of fun. (No one accuses e-books of being fun.)

L INDSAY LOHAN'S house arrest got a bit more boring yesterday. She can't have any more house parties. She can, however, still listen to house music. And watch reruns of "House. " Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner chided Lindsay for having rooftop parties at her home while serving out her probation violation, but said that the actress hadn't violated any other rules. "If you are guilty of some violation of your probation, I don't see it," Sautner said.

NORTH PHILLY-BORN and -raised comedian Kevin Hart is opening his wallet to give kids free e-book access to Lorene Carey 's Free! Great Escapes from Slavery on the Underground Railroad . Illustrations for the children's book, about the harrowing experiences of brave individuals who escaped the tyranny of slavery, were done by Please Touch Museum artist-in-residence, Beth Lewis . The free e-book, made possible through Hart's generous...

Buyers of e-books should make sure they get their fair share of a settlement agreed to by several of the nation's biggest publishers, advises the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office. The $69 million credit-or-refund deal applies to e-books purchased in every state but Minnesota from April 1, 2010, to May 21 of this year if they were published by Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Macmillan, or certain imprints or subsidiaries of those companies, which allegedly charged inflated prices or fixed prices.

I WOULDN'T NORMALLY feel sorry for a man like Bernie Cohen. At 86, he's had a vibrant life. He's been married to the same sweetheart, Selma, for more than six decades and is a proud father and grandfather. Although he's long retired as a clinical psychologist, he's still a professor emeritus at West Chester University, where he taught for years. And he had a fine career in private practice and managed a bustling psychiatric clinic in Norristown. He may move a little slowly, but his wits are quick and his eyes crinkle when he delivers the punch line of a favorite joke.

As e-books continue to grow in popularity, more and more people are visiting the Free Library of Philadelphia or logging on to freelibrary.org to check out our digital titles. While we currently offer more than 32,000 e-books for download - and are continually working to expand our digital collections - many of our customers wonder why they can't find the latest e-book bestsellers from Jennifer Weiner, Jeffrey Eugenides, or a host of other acclaimed authors. After all, the Free Library has plenty of physical copies of books by those same writers.

The story of P.K. Sindwani and his suburban Philadelphia bookstore is a saga of the beleaguered bookselling industry: good intentions, crazy times, and anyone's guess as to how things will turn out. For nearly two decades, Sindwani had done well at his shop near Ursinus College. But in 2010, with an anchor supermarket dying next door and the industry transforming at an exasperating pace, things got so tough that the onetime accountant and lifelong book lover was planning an exit strategy.

Three of the nation's largest publishers agreed to settle an antitrust lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Justice Department alleging that five publishers and Apple Inc. conspired to fix prices consumers pay for e-books. Attorney General Eric Holder said at a news conference in Washington that publishers Hachette, HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster agreed to let retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble set the consumer prices of their e-book titles. The proposed settlement, which must be approved by a federal judge, upended a business model that had increased the prices of many best-selling e-books from $9.99 to as much as $12.99 or $14.99.

Publishers and libraries are at odds over how to satisfy the public's craving for electronic books. How they resolve this thorny issue will have a tremendous impact on readers. Fearing potentially crippling losses, publishers are withholding e-books from libraries, charging them more than other customers, or limiting how many times a library can lend an e-book. That bumps into librarians' unwavering commitment to promote literacy, preserve culture, and make books available to people regardless of their financial situation.

At age 91, Ray Bradbury is making peace with the future he helped predict. The science fiction/fantasy author and longtime enemy of the e-book has finally allowed his dystopian classic Fahrenheit 451 to be published in digital format. Simon & Schuster released the electronic edition Tuesday at a list price of $9.99. First published in paperback by Ballantine in 1953 and as a hardcover by Simon & Schuster in the 1960s, Fahrenheit 451 has sold more than 10 million copies and has been translated into 33 languages.

L INDSAY LOHAN'S house arrest got a bit more boring yesterday. She can't have any more house parties. She can, however, still listen to house music. And watch reruns of "House. " Superior Court Judge Stephanie Sautner chided Lindsay for having rooftop parties at her home while serving out her probation violation, but said that the actress hadn't violated any other rules. "If you are guilty of some violation of your probation, I don't see it," Sautner said.