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Two Expresso machines and a stack of First Editions


A bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont is the first to install an Expresso Book Printing Machine.All eyes are on  Northshire Bookshop to see if it can make money printing books downloaded from massive online catalogs. If things go according to plan there’ll be much less need for space to warehouse books, and shipping charges and wait times will be eliminated. No book will be out of print.

Which is great if all you want to do is read the content. But if you’re more into the object…you might have to wait a bit for the hardcover first edtions to be produced and delivered.
NB Bookstores
The astute independent bookstore will in future probably have an Expresso machine for paperback books, an expresso machine for coffee, and stacks of first editions for collectors. Pretty good combo. And a pretty good way to deep six those hectare covering big box chain operations.
 

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 24th, 2009 at 2:04 AM and is filed under Authors and Books, Future of the Book. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Two Expresso machines and a stack of First Editions”

  1. Aurelie Collings Says:
    September 24th, 2009 at 3:03 PM

    I agree, it would be wonderful if this technology were to play a role in securing the future of small independent bookstores. I cannot wait to see one actually in operation, but I am a bit skeptical. Printing and binding books is incredibly complicated, and I remain to be convinced that the process can be fully automated and function without some hands-on human intervention. As a small example, just think of how often the paper jams in your printer, or the office copy machine. Until (unless) these machines are foolproof (no machine is) and ubiquitous, the maintenance will be a financial nightmare. How many skilled service technicians are there in North America for this machine? If none is in the region, how much will it cost, and how long will it take, to get a technician to come? Will this cost burden fall to the store owner? How much $$ will the store owner actually make per book? (probably even less than the pittance they get now) Hope I’m wrong, because it really is an intriguing idea. Perhaps it will work best in institutional settings: universities, public libraries, etc.
    Thanks for your blog! Love it.
    A.K.

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