Story updated February 15, 2021

With remote learning looking like the continued state of play, publishers have extended permissions for read alouds of their titles.

Abrams, HarperCollins, and Peachtree have joined Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster to extend permissions for online story time and classroom read-aloud videos to June 30, 2021. Lerner has extended permissions to March 31, 2021. 

To help educators and librarians engaged in online learning and storytimes held via Zoom and other virtual means, many publishers relaxed copyright restriction on their works at the start of the pandemic. (See “Publishers Adapt Policies To Help Educators”)

"We are continuing to get requests as more and more libraries and schools have had to close due to the increase cases of Covid-19. Our hope in extending the [storytime permissions] program is to give some stability for educators, librarians and booksellers in knowing that they can still use our author’s books for story time," wrote Skip Dye, SVP, Library Sales and Digital Strategy & SVP, Sales Operations, Penguin Random House, in an email to SLJ.

For more publisher policies, see the COVID-19 Publisher Information Directory.

Publishers with updates or special policies or offerings related to remote learning can contact SLJ for inclusion in the Directory. Email us at sljupdates@mediasourceinc.com.

Abrams

ABRAMS is eager to support and encourage the creative efforts of educators and others who are providing remote learning in this environment. We would be happy if you chose one or more of our books to read online to your students and participants.

We ask that you follow these guidelines when doing so:

• Please note at the beginning of the video that you are reading with permission of Abrams Children’s Books, and please note the title, author, and illustrator of the book.
• Please only post your video through your school’s private platform or through another group or platform with limited access for your students only.
• Viewers cannot be charged for viewing the video. Permission granted by Abrams is for noncommercial use only. Please delete your video or disable by June 30, 2021.
• Please send an email to abrams@abramsbooks.com with your name, school, city, state, the title and author/illustrator of the book(s) you would like to read online, as well as a follow-up email with a link to your video once you’ve read it.
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above guidelines.

Booksellers, libraries, and museums that are doing similar readings and/or live events should also follow the above guidelines.

Please note: Any bookseller, library, or museum event may not be maintained in the archive of the social media platform used.

Any other organization or charity that is interested in doing online reading of our books should contact us at abrams@abramsbooks.com.

Boyds Mills Kane

Update: June 1, 2020

Guidelines for Online Reading During the Coronavirus

How to share BMK books with students

* These guidelines are for all educators and librarians, wherever you reside.

A silver lining of the challenges we are currently facing is the heartwarming and absolutely unsurprising commitment we are seeing by authors, illustrators, teachers, librarians, and all other educators to make sure kids continue to have access to great books while schools are closed.

Here are our guidelines for reading Boyds Mills & Kane books online during this time:

Please note at the beginning of your recording that you are reading with permission from Boyds Mills & Kane.

You may post your recording on either a closed (e.g., through a password-protected school platform or a private YouTube channel accessible only by students/educators) or open platform.

If you post on a closed platform, please delete or disable access to your recording after September 7, 2020. If your recording is available on an open platform, it must be taken down after two weeks.

If you are an educator, please email your name and title to us at marketing@bmkbooks.com. We’d love to hear how you’re using our books during this time!

By posting any recording, you agree to all terms outlined above. Boyds Mills & Kane may adjust these terms in the future, as the situation evolves.

Candlewick

Candlewick Press is operating in accordance with the newest COVID-19–related guidelines from the governor of Massachusetts. The majority of staff continue to work remotely, and Candlewick Press wants to assure you that we are taking every step possible to maintain business continuity while ensuring the safety and well-being of our staff. We understand that it's a time of uncertainty, and our thoughts are with all who have been impacted. Times like this remind us how thankful we are to be part of such a resilient community and how truly grateful we are for each and every one of our partners and readers. We thank you for your continued business.

For specific inquiries, please use the following email addresses:

• Publicity and marketing: publicity@candlewick.com
• Sales: salesinfo@candlewick.com
• Finance and accounting: accountspayable@candlewick.com
• General and editorial comments or inquiries: bigbear@candlewick.com
• Permissions: permissions@candlewick.com
• *for online reading requests related to COVID 19 closures, see belowLicensing: licensing@candlewick.com

COVID 19 online reading permission requests:

Candlewick Press is committed to the authors and illustrators who create our books and to the readers who love them. We value the art of storytelling and are keenly aware of the power of stories to connect and comfort us. During this difficult time, we want to ensure our authors’ and illustrators’ works are protected without being prohibitive. Please note, to avoid unrestricted sharing and possible copyright infringement for any of our titles, it is our policy not to permit any posted recorded video readings showcasing the entirety of our books on large, open, public platforms online such as YouTube, Facebook, etc. Live readings are permissible on open platforms; please see below.

Below are guidelines we ask you to follow, and by posting a reading, you are agreeing to these terms, which will remain in effect until your school, library, or venue reopens in full. Please note that many Candlewick Press books are available in audio and/or video formats. You may wish to seek out those versions of the books to meet your needs instead of making your own.

Live Readings:

Live readings of Candlewick Press books that are not recorded do not require permission from Candlewick Press. Librarians, teachers, parents, caregivers, members of the clergy, and staff of museums, bookstores, and nonprofits can, through virtual means, read any Candlewick Press title live to their patrons, students, and children. However, these readings cannot be archived or saved. If possible, we ask that live videos are posted only through your school or group’s private platform or within a closed group with access limited to your student/patron community. Please note at the beginning of your live reading that you are reading with permission from Candlewick Press and give credit to the author and/or illustrator.

Recorded Readings:

Teachers, librarians, and those who intend to make recordings may share these readings only on private, closed platforms accessible solely to your students or patrons. These readings should not be archived or saved on public social media channels, websites, YouTube, etc.

Prior to posting your reading, please email onlinereadings@candlewick.com with your name, your city and state, the name of your school/library/institution, the name of the private and closed platform you will use to share the reading, and the title and author/illustrator of the book(s) you intend to read. Please note that we receive a high number of these requests and will do our best to respond as promptly as possible.

Authors and Illustrators:

Authors and illustrators can read their own books, as long as they’ve received permission from a co-creator. These readings can be live or posted for a limited time on such outlets as Instagram Stories, Snapchat, etc. For more recorded readings, or readings shared on closed, private platforms which will be posted for more than 24 hours, please contact onlinereadings@candlewick.com

Crabtree Publishing

Crabtree Publishing Company is dedicated to supporting our education community as we navigate uncertain service challenges. We realize that librarians, teachers, home-educators and parents are actively looking to provide reading resources for their students and community in an effort to keep them learning and reading. Virtual sharing through story time and online read-alouds provide that solution.

At this time, Crabtree is granting open permission to those individuals wishing to use our books in a virtual online setting to extend learning and engagement through read-alouds. We commend those individuals who have committed their efforts to furthering the education of their students and community during this time of uncertainty. It’s wonderful to see individuals coming together, in a virtual manner, to enrich their communities, with the love of books and reading!

Teachers, librarians,home-educators and parents may use any Crabtree Publishing title in a read-along for non-commercial use until June 30, 2021 as follows:

• At the beginning of the recording/live video, please indicate that you are reading with permission from Crabtree Publishing and reference the author.

• Video live streams may include displaying the book as part of the reading.

• Teachers, librarians, parents, caregivers, and clergy are granted permission to read any Crabtree Publishing title to their patrons, students, and children through virtual means(public or private platforms). Refer to conditions of recorded use below.

• Recordings of video or live-stream read-alouds through public or private platforms (ie Facebook Live, Instagram, Zoom, Youtube Live and other such means) are allowed under the condition the recordings of these events are removed from your archives by June 30, 2020.

• Please email permissions@crabtreebooks.com to notify us when you post a stream or recording using Crabtree Publishing books and include the following information:
  - Name and address of library, school, institution, individual
  - Title and author of book that is read
  - Link or social media platform on which the video or live event is posted
• We would love to see our books featured in your read-alongs so kindly tag Crabtree Publishing when referencing these recordings on social media!

Twitter: @CrabtreePub
Facebook: @CrabtreePublishing
Instagram: @CrabtreePublishing

By participating in a read-along recording using Crabtree Publishing books, you agree to the above terms,which are in effect until June 30, 2020. Should you have additional questions, please email permissions@crabtreebooks.com

Note: Usage is limited to individuals within Canada and the United States.

Free Spirit Publishing 

Dear Educators, Librarians, and Booksellers:

We appreciate your work on behalf of children at this crucial time. The terms listed here are meant to be your guide in using Free Spirit books to support distance learning. Further down are our standard permissions guidelines.

Requests for live, unrecorded readings:

Free Spirit Publishing is pleased to grant permission for one-time live readings of our books.

If you are hosting a virtual read-aloud with a Free Spirit book, you must:

• Host only live readings rather than uploading recordings
• Credit Free Spirit as publisher
• Name freespirit.com as the URL where viewers can find the book
• Delete videos on platforms that auto-archive live videos

Please email us at permissions@freespirit.com with the following information: your name, your organization/school and its location (city and state or country), the title and author/illustrator of the Free Spirit book you will be reading online, and the platform and date of the reading.

Thank you for your interest and commitment to supporting the social emotional and academic needs of all kids! We would love to follow along via social media. Please tag us at:

Facebook: FreeSpiritPublishing
Instagram: @FreeSpiritPublishing
Twitter: @FreeSpiritBooks

Requests for recorded readings:
Please be aware that we cannot grant permission for recorded readings of Free Spirit books to be posted online. See below for additional permissions information and contact us at permissions@freespirit.com if you have further questions.

Access Free Spirit Books on Epic
Access select Free Spirit titles for free on Epic, the leading digital library for kids 12 & under. The brand new service, Epic Free, offers every student 2 hours of free weekly reading. Families only need an invitation from their teacher to get started. Click here for full details.

HarperCollins

ONLINE READING FAQ – Updated as of November 2020

If you are an author who would like to do a recorded or live reading of your HarperCollins Children’s book: We are granting you permission to read your HarperCollins Children’s Books titles online through June 30th, 2021. These virtual readings may be streamed live via digital platforms, or if recorded, posted in closed educational platforms. If a closed platform is unavailable, recorded videos of readings may be uploaded to YouTube as long as they are marked “Unlisted”. We ask that you work with your editorial and marketing contact so we can amplify appropriately. This permission grant is to best serve the community of readers out there who need us right now.

If you are an author who has received a request from a teacher or librarian to read your HarperCollins Children’s book online: We are extending the ability to our authors and illustrators to grant permission to educators and librarians to read their HarperCollins Children’s Books titles online through June 30th, 2021. These virtual readings may be streamed live via digital platforms, or if recorded, posted in closed educational platforms. If a closed platform is unavailable, recorded videos of readings may be uploaded to YouTube as long as they are marked “Unlisted”. We ask that you ask the requestor to do the following, as conditions of this grant of permission: 1. At the beginning of the reading, state it is “with permission of HarperCollins Children’s Books”. 2. Send their name, school or library, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book they intend to read online to ChildrensPermissions@HARPERCOLLINS.com. 3. Delete uploaded videos or, in the event the applicable platform does not permit deletion, disable access to uploaded videos, by the end of the local school year.

If you are an educator or librarian who would like to read a HarperCollins Children’s book online: We are granting permission to educators and librarians to read HarperCollins Children’s Books titles online, on video, through June 30th, 2021. These virtual readings may be streamed live via digital platforms, or if recorded, posted to closed educational platforms. If a closed platform is unavailable, recorded videos of readings may be uploaded to YouTube as long as they are marked “Unlisted”. We ask that any educators or librarians performing or posting readings please do the following, as conditions of this grant of permission:

1. At the beginning of the reading, state it is “with permission of HarperCollins Children’s Books”
2. Send their name, school or library, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book they intend to read online to ChildrensPermissions@HARPERCOLLINS.com.
3. Delete uploaded or archived videos or, in the event the applicable platform does not permit deletion, disable access to uploaded videos, by the end of the local school year. This permission grant is to best serve the community of readers out there who need us right now.

If you are a bookseller who would like to stream a live online reading of a HarperCollins Children’s book: We are granting permission to booksellers to stream live readings of HarperCollins Children’s Books titles online through June 30th, 2021. For clarity, booksellers may post videos on their site for up to 24 hours from the virtual event, but we are not granting booksellers permission to post recorded readings of our titles online for any period of time beyond that. We ask that any booksellers performing live readings please do the following, as conditions of this grant of permission:
1. At the beginning of the reading, state it is “with permission of HarperCollins Children’s Books”.
2. Send their name, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book they intend to read online to ChildrensPermissions@HARPERCOLLINS.com.
3. Delete any archival copies of the reading that the applicable digital platform may have stored.

Just Us Books

Resources and Guidelines to Support At-Home and Remote Learning

To help support children, parents and families, educators, librarians and the greater community during this challenging time, Just Us Books has expanded read along permissions and resources for at-home and remote learning. If you are an educator or librarian who would like to use our books as part of an online read along or other online instruction, we please follow the guidelines posted here.

Lerner

To that end, we are granting a temporary license to educators and librarians who would like to use our books to support their students and patrons via distance learning and remote access with the following stipulations:

•  A one-time, non-dramatic reading of the book, for educational and non-commercial purposes only
• The reading shall not be publicly shared/broadcast on Youtube/Facebook or other social media platforms, unless posted “Unlisted” (not “Public”), and shall not be used as a means to generate income via advertising or any other fee
•  The reading shall be removed from all formats, including live videos that have been archived, by March 31, 2021
• Please begin the video or recording with a statement that you are reading with permission of Lerner Publishing Group
• The following imprints and publishers are covered by this agreement: Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, Darby Creek, ediciones Lerner, First Avenue Editions, Graphic Universe, Kar-Ben Publishing, Lerner Classroom, Lerner Digital, Lerner Publications, Millbrook Press, Twenty-First Century Books, Zest Books, Maverick Arts Publishing. Imprints or publishers listed in our catalog but not listed above are NOT COVERED by this license and permission must be sought directly.
• With all readings, you must include the following notice: Displayed with the permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. “Title” by Author, illustrated by Illustrator. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
• Please fill out this form within 10 days to alert us of your use.

Please email permissions@lernerbooks.com with any questions.

Peachtree Publishing

Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. has extended its read-aloud permissions policies through June 30, 2021. I’ve copied our updated permission information below, but it can also be found here: https://peachtree-online.com/contact/

Peachtree Publishing's note to educators:

We at Peachtree want to do everything we can to help kids and parents, educators, librarians, and booksellers cope with the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in now while protecting the hard work of our authors and illustrators. Peachtree Publishing Company Inc. is happy to share a resource page full of free downloadable teacher’s guides and activity sheets.

We would be happy to allow you to read our titles to your audiences, but we do need your help to protect our creators’ copyrights. We ask you to follow these guidelines:

• At the beginning of your video, please state that you are reading the title “with permission from Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.”
• Readings can be streamed live via social media or digital platforms. If pre-recorded, please post your reading within a closed platform or group for your members only. If a closed platform is unavailable, recorded videos of read-alouds may be uploaded to YouTube as long as they are marked as “Unlisted.”
• Please delete your video by the end of this current school year, no later than June 30, 2021.
• Please reply to permission@peachtree-online.com with your name, school, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you will read online.
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms.
• If you are looking for videos of our authors reading their own books aloud, please contact us at permission@peachtree-online.com to see which author read-aloud videos we have available.

We would also love to follow along with your read-aloud, so please tag us on social media in any posts affiliated with it!

Thank you for everything you are doing to help kids and families during this difficult time.

Penguin Random House

LICENSE EXTENDED TO JUNE 30th, 2021

In order to encourage reading and classroom read-aloud experiences, and to support schools and public libraries forced to close by the escalating COVID-19 outbreak, Penguin Random House is permitting teachers, educators, librarians, booksellers, and other qualified individuals to create and share story time and read-aloud videos and live events, according to the following guidelines which have been extended to June 30th, 2021. (This Open License is not meant to grant permission for the posting of any pre-recorded audiobook product.)

For Teachers, Educators, Librarians, Booksellers, and Other Qualified Individuals providing distance learning and read-aloud events:

• Story time or classroom read-aloud videos in which a Penguin Random House book is read aloud (including the reader showing pictures in the case of picture books) may be created and posted to closed educational platforms such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Edmodo, and Discovery Education, along with social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, in order to replicate the read-aloud book experience that would otherwise be available to teachers and educators in the classroom, librarians in the library, and booksellers in the bookstores. Other qualified individuals are included, as long as the reading is not for profit.
• If a teacher, educator, librarian, bookseller, or other qualified individual plans to share a story time video by recording a video, uploading it to a YouTube channel, and posting a link to that YouTube video, the video must be designated as “unlisted” (not “public”) when uploading. See screenshot for how to choose “unlisted” while uploading on YouTube.
• These story time and read-aloud videos may be hosted on the educational or social media platform until June 30th, 2021, after which we request that they be removed from the platform and from YouTube, unless this permission is extended.
• Story time and read-aloud events that are live may not be maintained in the archive of the educational or social media platform. Because some platforms automatically archive live events by default, appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that videos of the live event are not maintained. When the event has concluded, please locate the recorded live video in your account and delete it. See a screenshot of how to delete a live video from YouTube.

Reporting Requirements: We ask that all teachers, educators, librarians, booksellers, and other qualified individuals please complete this form. As an Open License, permission will be deemed granted upon submission of the required information on the form, and compliance with the above guidelines.

If you have any questions, please email StoryTimeTempPermission@penguinrandomhouse.com.

Simon & Schuster

In addition, we will permit you to livestream and post readings of Simon & Schuster books online for your students and customers, subject to the following. By posting a reading, you are agreeing to these terms:

1. At the beginning of your video, please state that you are reading the book “with permission from Simon & Schuster.”

2. We ask that you post your reading within the confines of your school, library, or store's platform or another closed group with limited access for your students and customers. However, for Ready-to-Reads, picture books, and any other younger formats, if this is not possible, you may post it through a public platform, such as YouTube.

3. For these younger formats, it is fine to read the entire book. For chapter books and novels, the readings should be limited to a few chapters.

4. Since this is a way to deal with the current extraordinary situation, your video should be deleted or access disabled by no later than June 30, 2021.

5. If you are an educator or librarian, email us at Education.Library@SimonandSchuster.com with your name, school, city, and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you intend to read online and the date. If you are a bookseller, email us at ChildrensPublicity@SimonandSchuster.com with your name 

store, location, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you intend to read online and the date.

TeachingBooks

Open through September 15, you can freely invite your students and families to delve into the world of children’s and young adult books. Encourage them to experience read-along performances of favorite titles that are translatable into 100+ languages. Invite them to virtual storytime with 1,000+ complete book readings. And with our new reader’s advisory, insightful interviews with thousands of authors, and discussion questions for most books, virtual book clubs are well equipped, too.

TeachingBooks is currently licensed by more than 50,000 schools and libraries, offering readers of all ages this vast, professionally curated collection of resources about children’s and young adult books. Please enjoy and share throughout your community the open-access link:  TeachingBooks.net/HomeEdition.

If you wish a more customized approach to seamless access during this unprecedented time, please see the "Open Access and Use" section of the Home Edition kit where you can request buttons and links to post on your websites, social media, or anywhere your students look. Or for school communities, set up access for your institution through Clever or ClassLink by asking your technology director to reach out to us, and we’ll get back to you asap -- ray@TeachingBooks.net.

On behalf of all of us at TeachingBooks, we wish you and your community our very best. Freely reach out if we can be of any assistance deepening connections to authors and books.