Finally, the Espresso Book Machine is breaking out of its niche in libraries and a smattering of book stores. According to this article culled from my weekly RWA eNotes Newsletter, a long-awaited development in our ever-changing publishing industry is about to break.
On Demand Books, the makers of the device that can print and bind a book in as little as five minutes, has partnered with Kodak to piggyback on the Kodak Picture Kiosks located in some 105,000 locations globally. CVS is the major chain mentioned at the moment, but my guess is these will soon pop up all over the place, especially since On Demand Books has also joined up with ReaderLink, which distrubutes books to grocery stores and other general retail outlets.
This is exciting. It could revitalize booksales in grocery and drug stores -- places everyone has to go. That puts books in the paths of folks who might not yet know they want to read them, and that's how commercial fiction thrives. It also presents an alternative for those who are still not comfortable reading ebooks, or don't wish to shell out for an ereader or smartphone.
The initiative is due to launch later this year in the U.S. and expand globally in 2013.
Recent Comments