Why Might A Publisher Pull Its E-Books From Libraries?

Following the news that Penguin, citing security concerns, is pulling its new e-books from libraries—and making none of them available for library lending through Kindle—many are wondering why the publisher would do such a thing. (Penguin and Random House had been the only two “big six” publishers to offer unfettered access to e-books through libraries; now Random House is alone in doing so.)

Here are some possible reasons, none of which are “Penguin is stupid and is trying to make itself obsolete”—but all of which are a response to high demand for e-books in libraries, and I might argue that attempts to curtail or impede that demand are, at a minimum, counterproductive.

• Penguin is mad about Amazon’s deal with OverDrive and is retaliating.
• Penguin thinks people are checking out e-books from non-local libraries
• Penguin is worried that e-book checkouts from libraries will cut into sales.

(11/22)