In a surprise announcement, Macmillan abandoned its controversial embargo on new release e-books in libraries, effective last week.

“There are times in life when differences should be put aside,” reads a brief memo from Macmillan CEO John Sargent addressed to librarians, authors, illustrators, and agents. The memo, in its entirety, reads:

There are times in life when differences should be put aside. Effective on Friday (or whenever thereafter our wholesalers can affect the change), Macmillan will return to the library e-book pricing model that was in effect on October 31st, 2019. In addition, we will be lowering some e-book prices on a short-term basis to help expand libraries collections in these difficult times. Stay safe.

 

A Macmillan spokesperson confirmed that the removal of the embargo covers all titles, including new release Tor titles (which were technically still under a "test" embargo on October 31, 2019). The news comes as libraries across the nation are (or soon will be) closing down their physical locations in an attempt to slow the outbreak of Covid-19.

“This is extraordinarily welcome news in an unprecedented time," said ALA Senior Director for Public Policy & Government Relations ALA Inouye, according to Publishers Weekly. "Equitable access to digital content is more important than ever as libraries continue to serve their communities amid rapidly changing circumstances. Macmillan’s return to its original lending terms signals a new starting point for all publishers to consider how they can work with libraries to ensure—and expand—access for all readers. ALA looks forward to working with publishers to make that happen.”

While the Covid-19 outbreak clearly played a role in Macmillan's decision to abruptly abandon its embargo on new release library e-books, at press time it is unclear whether the move also coincides with conclusions drawn from other data gathered by Macmillan, or whether Macmillan executives will revisit the policy or explore another major terms revision for library e-books in the future.

The news comes less than two weeks after Macmillan executives sought confidential feedback from a select group of librarians on three proposals that would have potentially replaced the embargo with a combination of price hikes and other restrictions.

Michael Blackwell, director of the St. Mary's County (MD) Public Library and an organizer of the ReadersFirst coalition, told PW he was pleased to hear that Macmillan would be dropping the embargo on new release titles, and thanked Sargent for a "gracious" move in ending the stalemate. "I hope that it can be a good starting point for further negotiations, with good faith on both sides," Blackwell said. "Let's move forward together for the good of readers inside and outside libraries."