Happy 4th Anniversary to Me, LibraryPass, and Reading ALL the Comics
This month officially marks four years for me at LibraryPass, a job that initially started as a consulting gig in early 2020 for an old friend and colleague who knew the right buttons to press: comics, libraries, and affordable access to ebooks.
I was barely a year into an unexpected new career path as a consultant when we first discussed Comics Plus at the end of 2019, and the COVID pandemic was still only a whisper of a possibility in the US. I was intrigued by its potential as a service for libraries and schools, but — still stinging from F+W’s recent implosion — wasn’t excited about the harsh realities facing an ebook startup in the library space.
We kept in touch about it, and a few months later the world was on lockdown and access to ebooks had become one of the most important problems to solve for libraries, schools, and publishers.
An Opportunity to Help
From Digital Book World to the Panorama Project to now, ebooks have been a thorn in my side for more than 15 years!
When I left DBW to join Library Journal in 2011, Harper Collins announced the first metered ebook license for libraries, ensuring I hadn’t escaped their reach. Ironically, that model was pretty quickly seen as the fairest approach to metering thanks to the rest of the Big 5 one-upping each other in developing increasingly restrictive and expensive ways to “add friction” to library ebooks, culminating in Macmillan’s ill-conceived eight-week embargo on all new ebooks for libraries.
At the Panorama Project, I was consistently frustrated by the industry’s lack of will to find a way to collaborate on anything related to libraries, while claims that libraries were cannibalizing sales made the rounds with only rumors about Amazon-provided data to support them — despite years of actual research (and even some limited data) consistently suggesting otherwise. It was no small victory convening a cross-industry advisory committee to collaborate on a new consumer research project (arguably as notable for which organizations didn’t participate), but despite a well-received initial report (finalized and released after I’d moved on), that collaborative approach was abandoned shortly afterwards and no one’s stepped in to fill that gap yet.
With LibraryPass, though, what had started as a fun side gig helping a friend out with strategy and messaging, slowly evolved into a mission that became personal on several levels; most importantly, an opportunity to be the change I wanted to see in the market.
During the early days of the pandemic, the importance of equitable access to digital content was made crystal clear, with arch-villain Macmillan pulling a surprise 180 on their despised library ebook embargo because libraries had become demonstrably more important to publishers than ever before as bookstores were closing and Amazon was becoming even more dominant.
At LibraryPass, our goal of “leveraging the power of affordable, equitable access to satisfy increasing demands for engaging digital content” wasn’t just some timely marketing jargon I wrote for the About page, it was (and still is) embedded into the heart of the company’s mission itself.
At LibraryPass, we believe that comics, manga, and picture books offer an incredible opportunity to engage readers of all abilities and ages, and Comics Plus is our unique gateway into that diverse and engaging world.
Read All the Comics!
Some people may not think access to comics is as important as other types of reading material, but those people are wrong. Comics (and especially manga) cover all genres of fiction and nonfiction, telling stories in ways that are often more compelling and immersive than traditional prose, and often reaching readers who are otherwise ignored (or simply underserved) by traditional publishers.
The past four-plus years haven’t always been easy, because the only thing worse than a startup is a startup in the library space, but they’ve included some of the most fulfilling moments of my career, enabling me to combine personal and professional passions in ways that have had a tangible impact on real people.
From professional development to useful resources to advocacy, I’ve been lucky to play a strategic and creative role for a company that wears its mission on its sleeve — through actions rather than just words. We’re a small team, most of whom still haven’t met each other in person yet, but we’re more focused on our mission than any other company I’ve ever worked for, and I don’t take that for granted.
So, before this gets any further into touchy-feely territory, happy anniversary to one of the best career decisions I’ve ever made. Assuming all continues to go well, this time next year I’ll be celebrating my fifth anniversary, officially making this the longest I’ve ever worked for a single company!
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Working for and with people you like, doing work that you enjoy, is a rare and beautiful thing; doing work that fulfills a personal need is even more rare. You’ve got both here, and I’m very glad for you. Happy anniversary, and many happy returns of the day (may the record be broken with ease)
100%! Thank you.
Words can’t express how honored I am to know you. You’re a true soul, my friend, doing good in the world.
Back at you, Shane!