Espresso Book Machines: Bridging the gap between print and ebooks

Self-publishing is getting a whole lot easier for authors who prefer to go the ‘indie’ route and avoid the hassles of trying to get the ever-more-evasive traditional publishing contract. Espresso Book Machines (EBM) are paving the way not only for indie authors, but also indie bookstores as well – who must compete with the likes of Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Amazon.

The EBM is basically a mini-self publisher all wrapped up into one machine. You select the book you want printed, and it prints the entire book (nifty covers included!), binds, trims and spits the newly printed book out for you to enjoy.

Today I read this post over at Teleread about an EBM that has been installed at a small bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont. The machine is a big hit over there, as it offers the bookstore patrons a much wider selection of books than can possibly fit on the store’s shelves. This alone makes it much easier for local authors, indie authors and others that fall below the radar of mainstream publishing to get their books into the hands of readers:

Such a gizmo can get a 300-page book into a waiting shopper’s hands in minutes. Bookstores can use Espressos to help local writers break into print—not just conjure up classics and forgotten midlist books from central databases.

As reported in the post, however, these machines aren’t cheap. They can cost upwards of $95,000 and can be rented for just shy of $2000 per month. However, I do believe that they can pay for themselves many times over by offering a wide selection of books in places where such a selection is not normally found.

Bridging the world of print books and ebooks

Aside from all the glitter and fancy technology that is the Espresso Book Machine, David from Teleread makes a really good point in his post that is worth repeating:

While e-books have their place—the name of this blog, after all, is TeleRead: Bring the E-Books Home—I see one as well for print on demand as a transitional technology. And I don’t mean short-term transitional. We’re talking about a decades or two or maybe more.

Paper books are not going to vanish overnight, given the number of baby boomers and others fond of paper; and as I see it, Lurch or at least his descendants will be staying busy for a long time to come.

For all my evangelizing of ebooks, I realize that good ‘ol fashion print books aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. I still come across more people who shy away from, or who are downright hostile to, the idea of ebooks during my daily encounters with the world.

There are a lot of folks (mostly from the older generation – but not all) who can’t imagine reading an ebook on a screen, no matter how well it mimics the printed page. They are die-hard print book devotees and it will take a lot to win them over to the ebook side.

The EBM just might be key to the transition from print to digital. With the EBM, the customer is still getting the print book, but the economics of it are more geared toward digital books. By that I mean that there is no stock, no shipping, and no returns. Yes you do have to consider the high cost of the machine, paper and ink – but I believe that as the technology improves, these costs will come down a good deal.

Another advantage of the EBM that is similar to ebooks is the sheer selection available to readers. It almost becomes a case of infinite supply, and as long as there’s a demand, everyone is happy. This technology can really give indie authors a much needed boost to getting their books into the hands of readers.

What do you think about the prospects for the Espresso Book Machine? A viable alternative to traditional publishing and even other POD programs out there, or a nifty machine that’s way to expensive to become common in bookstores and malls? Leave a comment with your thoughts below.

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