Granted, Tor and Macmillan is a private company, and they’re not obligated to sell to anyone, even if we all agree in principle to a right to read and a right to access. Therefore, this embargo on Tor e-book sales raises significant concerns regarding access and equality to an important area of literature. These are exactly the kids who most need the public library and the resources it offers. This embargo makes that harder to do and potentially leads to reader frustration.Īnd when we’re talking about kids, they can’t necessarily just go buy it themselves if they don’t want to wait, especially if they are from poorer families.

And once you get them hooked, you want to be able to point them toward other greats in the genre. Does she like Star Wars? Does she know there are literally dozens and dozens of Star Wars books? I think teasing readers with finding out what happens to a character, or how characters met, is a great way to attract new readers. Did he like The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe? Get him the other books in the series. I know I have often suggested titles in this genre to friends with children who are reluctant readers. With the major success of science fiction and fantasy films based on novels recently including The Hunger Games (not published by Tor) and Ender’s Game (published by Tor), I have long thought that science fiction and fantasy was a great “gate way” genre for reluctant teen readers in particular. Indeed, take a look at the number of Tor books in this recent list of Hugo Award winners. And related subjects.” (Tor.com, 2018) Tor publishes many of the major names and titles in the genre, including Robert Jordan, Steven Erikson, Orson Scott Card, and Brandon Sanderson. Tor is one of the major science fiction and fantasy publishing houses – Tor.com’s tag line is “Science Fiction. I am particularly concerned about the potential impact on younger readers. An embargo of this sort limits access by those who cannot afford to buy their own books and therefore rely on the public library. One of the core values of librarianship is access, particularly equal access, to books and other materials, as well as ideas. The embargo prevents the sale of library e-books for four months.

Tor Books, a branch of Macmillan, recently announced an embargo on e-book sales to libraries, which I believe could have significant negative impact on younger readers in particular.

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