Beginning in May, Lightning Source, the Ingram POD company, is launching a pilot program to provide about 85,000 titles from some 13 publishers on Espresso Book Machines. The machines, developed by On Demand Books, are or will soon be installed in some 15 locations, mostly bookstores and libraries, around the world, and can print a paperback book as quickly and richly as a veteran barista can whip up a latte.
The participating publishers, which include Hachette, S&S, Wiley, Macmillan and Norton, already work with Lightning Source. After the pilot, other publishers that print and distribute with Lightning Source will have the option of participating in the Espresso Book Machine program. That should occur in the second half of this year.
In a statement, David Taylor, president of Lightning Source, said that the program would allow "the many thousands of publishers with whom we already work the chance to get their books into this new distribution channel with minimal effort."
On Demand will be demonstrating the Espresso Book Machine 2.0 at the London Book Fair next week.