Make my Espresso…Digitized

Have you heard about the Espresso Book Machine?

It is billed as the biggest change in the literary world since the printing press and Blackwell’s Charing Cross Road branch in London actually has it. This gargantuan machine is not a sleek, sexy futuristic looking machine. In fact, it looks like a photo-copier on steroids but it can print and bind a book on demand in five minutes while customers wait.

This machine offers access to nearly a half a million books and it is hoped to have the number of book titles available to over a million by the end of summer. That is the shelf space equivalent of 50 bookstores rolled into one machine. The majority of the titles now available are ones that are out of copyright, but they are currently working diligently with publishers to increase the access of the in-copyright books and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.

Imagine the impact this could potentially have on the bookselling community. Small independents could compete with industry giants which is a pretty compelling argument for this type of change in the industry. No more concern about stocking titles, worrying about press runs or titles being out of print.

This machine was the brainchild of American publisher Jason Epstein, and the Espresso was a star attraction at the London Book Fair this week where it was on display to interested publishers. It has been deemed a Time Magazine “invention of the year” as it is creating quite a buzz through the publishing community.

The quality of the books is remarkable. It prints over 100 pages a minute, clamping them into place then binding, guillotining and spitting out the final publication. The text was free of smudges, with crisp clear printing. The jacket, although initially a little tacky at the touch, was of excellent quality.

It is described as an ”ATM for books” by its US proprietor On Demand Books. While the machine comes with a hefty $175,000 price tag but booksellers believe they can make it back in a year. The Espresso machines are already established in the US, Canada and Australia, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Egypt, but the Charing Cross Road machine is the first in the UK.

Exciting? You bet! What are your thoughts on the potential for change this machine could make in the book selling business? Will the large publishing houses maintain their pinnacle status or be forced to evolve with this new print on demand environment?