Lightning Source Launches Espresso Book Machine Pilot Program

Lightning Source, an Ingram Content company focused on enhancing book sales for publishers with innovative, low cost, and minimum risk print on demand solutions, launched an Espresso Book Machine (EBM) title pilot with On Demand Books.

Participating publishers in the pilot include John Wiley & Sons, Hachette Book Group, McGraw-Hill, Simon & Schuster, Clements Publishing, Cosimo, E-Reads, Bibliolife, Information Age Publishing, Macmillan, University of California Press, and W.W. Norton.

The pilot, being offered initially to a small group of publishers that currently work with Lightning Source, will enable these publishers to enhance the availability of their titles at point-of-sale EBM locations. Approximately 85,000 titles from these publishers will be available for purchase at EBM locations in the United States in May.

Upon the completion of a successful pilot, publishers that print and distribute books with Lightning Source will have the option to participate in the EBM channel. Complete channel automation is expected in the first half of this year, and rollout of the program to publishers globally is expected to follow shortly thereafter.

The EBM, which was named a Time Magazine “Invention of the Year,” is essentially an ATM for books. Placed primarily in bookstores and libraries, the machine automatically prints, binds, and trims perfect bound paperback books on-demand, at point of sale.

“We see the Espresso Book Machine as an innovative and exciting way for publishers to get their books out into the market,” said David Taylor, president of Lightning Source. “There is clearly a place for the in-store print on demand model in the emerging landscape of globally distributed print.”

Taylor continued, “Working with On Demand Books allows the many thousands of publishers with whom we already work the chance to get their books into this new distribution channel with minimal effort. In the times in which we are living, publishers need to be looking at every option to ensure that their books can be immediately available to people who want to buy them.”

“The EBM & Lightning Source pilot program is an exciting next step in the evolution of digital printing and direct fulfillment of Wiley’s must-have content to our customers, wherever and whenever they need it,” said Lynn Terhune, US POD and USR administrator, John Wiley & Sons. “Our rich content is being discovered by our customers in channels that were unimaginable five years ago.”

David Young, CEO of Hachette Book Group, said: “I’m pleased to have Hachette Book Group involved in this pilot program because anything that enables us to keep the widest array of books in print and available for the consumer is good news both for us and our authors.”

“Providing McGraw-Hill content to our customers around the world is core to our strategy,” said Philip Ruppel, president for McGraw-Hill Professional. “Espresso’s ability to make thousands of our key titles available on-demand gives us another vehicle to achieve that goal.”

“The future has finally arrived in the form of the Espresso Book Machine pilot program,” said Joe D’Onofrio, senior vice president, Supply Chain Operations for Simon & Schuster. “This is an important first step for all publishers in providing readers with universal and instant access to the widest possible catalog of titles in high-quality editions. We’re thrilled to be able to do this through our partnership with Lightning Source.”

“Norton is delighted to have joined the Espresso/Lightning source pilot program and especially to include in it, Jason Epstein’s insightful volume Book Business, which makes the case for this initiative that will help achieve the widest possible distribution for our books,” said W. Drake McFeely, chairman and president, W.W. Norton and Co.

“Since the introduction of print on demand over a decade ago, I’ve dreamed of a day when the technology would be refined and reduced to in-store scale,” said Richard Curtis, president, E-Reads.

Curtis continued, “At last it’s here and I’m overjoyed at this significant moment in the evolution of the book industry. Now you can visit a bookstore, order a book online, and pick your copy up after a leisurely cup of coffee. Bravissimo Espresso!”

“The University of California Press has had a long and active partnership with Lightning Source, and we’re very pleased to have the opportunity to extend that partnership to the Espresso Book Machine pilot program,” said Erich van Rijn, director of Publishing Operations, University of California Press.

“This program will further our efforts to make the greatest amount of our published material available to the widest possible readership. The point-of-sale printing model is truly an exciting development for the book business,” van Rijn continued.

“On Demand Books is delighted that the Espresso Book Machine is playing such a central role in a program that is blazing a trail to the future of book publishing,” said Dane Neller, CEO of OnDemand Books.

Neller also noted that, “With the book business facing dramatic changes and challenges, we believe the timing of the EBM couldn’t be better. Publishers, retailers, and libraries alike see the appeal of the machine that collapses the supply chain, boosts backlist sales, matches supply with demand, eliminates returns and powers new, high growth sales channels for publishers.”

On Demand Books will be demonstrating the Espresso Book Machine 2.0 at the upcoming London Book Fair. More information on the Espresso Book Machine and Lightning Source can be found online, at both the Lightning Source and On Demand Books Web sites.