Like many, I start my day off with a cup of coffee (corporate swill) or a grande, non-fat latte from Starbucks if the mood strikes. A different type of espresso recently caught my attention – the Espresso Book Machine or EBM. The EBM is the first print on demand kiosk to offer perfect bound books with page counts from 40-830 pages in sizing up to 8.5″ x 11″. Currently, there are over 1 million copyrighted works available after a few clicks of a mouse. The company is positioning the device as an ATM device for the publishing industry.
The launch of the first updated, version 2.0 EBM was this past April at Blackwell’s flagship bookstore in London. If the On Demand Books company is successful in scattering the EBM into every library, coffee shop, and bookstore, then the EBM could offer an attractive alternative to eBooks and readers like the Kindle. Books published by the Espresso are priced attractively, often lower than the Kindle downloads, and still offer all of the tactile comforts of a traditional book.
Listen to the NPR’s Morning Edition coverage of the EBM.
Intro Video from Which?
A Printer’s Response to the Espresso
