Redefining E-Book Sales: Briet’s Open-Access Approach Challenges Traditional Publishing

Briet has disrupted the e-book sales landscape by introducing an open-access platform that empowers publishers to sell digital books directly to libraries, addressing long-standing issues with e-book licensing, including high costs, lengthy hold times, and ethical concerns. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize the way libraries access digital content.

The founders of Briet, a collective of journalists and artists, have been working on the platform for 18 months, even as the Internet Archive (IA) was fighting a lawsuit against publishers over e-book scanning and lending. The IA case ultimately resulted in a ruling that the IA’s activities constituted copyright infringement.

“We’re responding to the crisis in e-book licensing and the increasing encroachment on the rights of librarians,” said Maria Bustillos, cofounder of Flaming Hydra and a key architect of Briet. “I’m really concerned for the future of archiving and the preservation of digital ownership rights for libraries.”

Briet’s open-access approach has already attracted several independent publishers, including PM Press, Punctum, Sideshow, and Silver Sprocket. The platform offers perpetual access to e-books, allowing libraries to own and archive digital titles without restrictions.

“We’re replicating digitally the model of public libraries,” said Ramsey Kanaan, publisher at PM Press. “Once a library buys a book, they can do with it as they damn well please.”

Briet’s founders acknowledge that the platform has faced challenges in approaching independent and small publishers due to digital rights management (DRM) agreements. However, many publishers already offer DRM-free books, and Bustillos hopes that authors will demand more control over their digital works.

“A lot of writers don’t realize that their digital books cannot be sold” due to DRM agreements, said Bustillos. “If authors who love libraries and who became writers in libraries, like me, come to understand that there are commercial constraints on the availability of their digital books, we should all demand that this be in our contracts.”

Briet’s goal is to ensure that its inventory of e-books remains perpetually “ownable and archivable” by libraries. With thousands of titles already available on the platform, Bustillos expects Briet to become a game-changer for libraries seeking affordable and accessible digital content.

Briet’s open-access approach has the potential to redefine e-book sales and challenge traditional publishing practices. By providing perpetual access to e-books and addressing industry challenges, Briet is poised to become a major player in the digital book market. As the platform continues to grow and evolve, it will be exciting to see how it shapes the future of libraries and digital content.