FAQ: Publishers Row eBooks for Libraries
 

What makes our eBooks different?

As one of the industry’s eBook pioneers, Publishers Row has over a decade of experience with eBook production. Publishers Row e-Books feature Publishers Row’s Secure Searchable Image Format (SSIF) and the most extensive set of internal links in the industry to deliver the highest possible quality reader experience on any Internet-connected computer and computing device.

What are the available modes of acquisition?

Libraries can acquire our eBooks using a traditional purchase or ownership model (with perpetual access), and two Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) models, Rent-To-Own or Rental Only. Libraries may these options on a book-by-book basis. Please note that some titles in the Collection may not be available for PDA as this requires the publisher’s permission. Any such titles are available for straight purchase only.


The three acquisition models are:

PERPETUAL ACCESS

Under this model, libraries may select and purchase the titles individually from the Publishers Row's Outle(www.publishersrow.com/ebookstore ). Pricing per title is at publisher’s list price plus Publishers Row hosting fee. Libraries selecting this option will be invoiced by Publishers Row or, if they prefer, may pay by credit card.

PDA RENT-TO-OWN MODEL

Under this model, eBooks are made accessible to library patrons for discovery and viewing. Users may search and view up to five (5) pages of any title free of charge. A short-term rental is triggered whenever a library patron views more than five (5) pages of a given title or prints any page. The library is then automatically billed for the cost of the rental.

Under this option, the rental period is three (3) days, and the rental fee is fifteen percent (15%) of the title’s selling price (publisher’s list price plus Publishers Row hosting fee). Only one user at a time may view the book, but there is no limit to the number of consecutive users.

Under the Rent-to-Own model, all rental charges are credited toward eventual purchase. After seven (7) short-term rentals, the library is deemed to have “purchased” the title and incurs no additional rental charges for that title. Libraries selecting this option receive monthly statements and invoices along with usage reports.

PDA RENTAL ONLY MODEL

Under this model, participating titles are available for short-term rental only. The rental period is seven (7) days and the rental fee is twenty percent (20%) of the selling price, again comprising a pro-rata share of the publisher’s list price plus the Publishers Row hosting fee. As with the Rent-to-Own option, libraries selecting this option receive monthly statements and invoices along with usage reports.

What is the Publishers Row eBookStore?

The Publishers Row eBookstore is hosted by Publishers Row www.publishersrow.com/ebookstore contains all of our currently available titles. In addition to the full-text of the title itself, you will also find a cover image along with information about the author, additional information about the title, and review citations.

A free preview of the full-text of any title is available to users who sign up for a complimentary account. You may search the eBookStore by title, author, and ISBN. You may also conduct a keyword search of the book description content or browse the books by subject area.

The library may purchase individual e-books or any subset of titles from the bookstore using the eBookStore shopping cart. The titles may be purchased outright or via one of the two Patron Driven Acquisition (PDA) options using the shopping cart. In addition, MARC or Excel records for all Collection titles are available for use in your library OPAC.

Once established, your library’s account includes a control panel where you can see in real time which books have been viewed by their patrons, how many pages, the current number of rentals, etc. You may also set a cap on the amount of money your library wishes to spend over a given period of time.
 

About Publishers Row

Publishers Row is a comprehensive provider of custom Internet publishing solutions for book publishers who wish to:

  • Create state of the art electronic editions (eBooks) of their print titles utilizing Publishers Row's proprietary Secure Searchable Image Format (SSIF) format.
  • Sell electronic editions directly to individuals, libraries, and institutions.
  • Create and sell rights-managed CD editions of their titles that are compatible with any PC, Mac, or Linux platform.
  • Promote greater sales of their print titles on their own and their resellers' websites.
  • Enable online previews of their titles, thus increasing the visibility of and traffic on their website.
  • Capture site visitor information to build high-quality house mailing lists.

Founded in 1998, Publishers Row is one of the industry's eBook pioneers with more than a decade of eBook development experience. One of its earliest clients was Adobe Systems, who commissioned Publishers Row to develop a prototype PDF eBook for Adobe's earliest book publishing customers. Based in Skokie, Illinois, Publishers Row is a wholly owned subsidiary of Varda Graphics.