Print on Demand

The Bookseller has news and comment about Amazon.com's move into the publishing business via their new CreateSpace print-on-demand project:

Comment online has suggested that the move could knock publishers and other literary third parties out of the equation. [Timo] Hannay wrote on his Nature blog: "Amazon becomes the ultimate clearing house for books of all kinds (and much else besides), with none of the traditional middlemen getting a look in. Genius. If you're an agent, publisher, wholesaler, or retailer of books and you haven't just soiled your undies, then you don't understand what's going on."

The production price per unit is still significantly higher than if you use Lightning Source (around double, though depending on page count), but this certainly looks like a step toward Amazon becoming an 'all-in-one' book business. And no doubt many self-publishers will still find the terms attractive, not least due to the 30% take from Amazon (vs the standard book industry 50 - 65%) , the lack of setup fee/ISBN requirement, and more obviously the ease of selling and postage through Amazon's system. In fact, if anybody is going to 'soil their undies', I'd imagine it would be Lulu.com - CreateSpace appears to offer the benefits of Lulu at lower price and with better market access.

Print on Demand king-pins Lightning Source have added a video presentation to their website (Windows Media or Quicktime), which takes you right into their manufacturing and distribution operation. An excellent way to enhance your knowledge of PoD and Lightning Source - sure beats the few photos they used to have up on the website.

We've heard a bit about the 'Espresso Book Machine' previously...now comes news from The Bookseller that the first machine has been installed at the New York Public Library:

The first Espresso Book Machine (EBM), which prints and delivers books on demand within minutes, was revealed at the New York Public Library yesterday (21st June). The EBM is a product of On Demand Books, the company founded by publishing executive Jason Epstein and business partner Dane Neller, who predict that it will revolutionise publishing.

Visitors to the library can print off free copies of public domain works such as Moby Dick, and - in a nice touch - appropriately themed copyrighted titles such as Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail. Wonder what the ink/paper and cover quality is like on these things?

Update: Bloomberg has a much more detailed story about the Espresso Book Machine.

Print on Demand provider BookSurge has announced agreements with major publishers. The company, which is a subsidiary of Amazon.com said the publishers will use Booksurge's...

...Print on Demand service to make their current, backlist, out-of-print and large print books available to millions of customers on Amazon.com and through other distribution channels. Participating publishers now include HarperCollins, John Wiley & Sons, McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Springer, Gale, Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Princeton University Press, SAGE Publications, Kensington, Hal Leonard, LexisNexis, and the International Step by Step Association

It will be interesting to see how the Amazon-Booksurge relationship develops, and whether it has any impact on other providers such as Lightning Source.

Lulu.com has entered into a multi-year agreement with stock photo monolith Getty images. The agreement will allow Lulu authors to access Getty's photos for a minimal price, to use in their print-on-demand books. Prices will be $1 for a cover image, and 30 cents for photos on inside pages.

The Guardian has an interesting article about the rise of Print on Demand (PoD) publishing and online marketing via MySpace and blogs:

...costs are negligible: a small amount for cover designs and the time investment necessary to edit the books; and because it's print on demand, there are no setup costs associated with each print run, the writers receive a healthy royalty for each book sold and profits can be ploughed back into design and marketing.

This latest article is one of a growing number of stories about Print on Demand which have been turning up in the mainstream press.