On Demand Books Develops New Era in Publishing

A New York-based company, On Demand Books LLC, has come out with a revolutionary product called The Espresso Book Machine, which prints public domain books on the spot for the consumer.

 The so-called ATM for books, the Espresso, can print out any one of the 200,000 public domain titles producing a finished product identical to factory-made copies. The machine is designed to provide readers with an alternative to the likes of Amazon, or second-hand booksellers, in order to instantly find what they want.

 ODB has also been careful to point out the machine’s green benefits. The machine could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional publishing, by allowing production of titles exactly to match demand, thereby reducing the number of unwanted books that must be pulped, as well as cutting back their transport emissions. It will enable publishers to cut out supply chain costs, match consumer demands and therefore eliminate unwanted returns.

 The New York Public Library, The University of Alberta Bookstore, and The Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont have all opted to use the Espresso. Teleread reports that the EBM set up at the University of Alberta last year cost US $144,000.