Espresso Book Machine Selfserve Authors Can Now Go "E" Via Partnership with BookBaby
New York, NY–On Demand Books, the company behind the Espresso Book Machine, launched its SelfServe web-based upload earlier this year to allow self-published content to be available in print at point of sale through their growing network of machines. On Demand Books is now partnering with BookBaby so these authors (and the EBM operators some work through) can convert their print books to “e” and have them available via all major e-tailers.
“I’m thrilled that we have an opportunity to partner with EBM,” says BookBaby president Brian Felsen. “When it comes to inventory and print-budget concerns, the advent of the Espresso Book Machine has revolutionized POD and put control back in the hands of the most important person in the publishing equation— the author. BookBaby is revolutionizing the world of eBook distribution so that independent writers can take charge of their own careers and compete side by side with the best-sellers without spending a small fortune. This partnership is a natural fit since both companies’ core value is author empowerment.”
“Our EBM Operators have been asking us for an e-solution for a while and we’re pleased that our partnership with BookBaby will now offer their customers e-book conversion and distribution. BookBaby has comprehensive and affordable packages our authors will appreciate, as well as the human touch to take them through what may be challenging for some. This is a great partnership for us and a great opportunity for our retailers and authors,” says Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books.
The EBM is the only digital-to-print at-retail solution on the market today. With the push of a button, a title can be printed with a full-color cover, bound, and trimmed to any standard size. In a matter of minutes, it emerges from the EBM as a bookstore-quality paperback book, which the customer can pay for and walk out the store with right there and then.
Content from publishers is fed to the EBM via EspressNet, On Demand Books’ growing digital network of titles (currently numbering over seven million). Much like an iTunes for books, EspressNet retrieves, encrypts, transmits, and catalogues books from a multitude of English and foreign language content providers, including public domain, in-copyright, and self-published titles. Through the SelfServe software, writers can format, design, edit, and upload their books for printing through the EBM, and for inclusion in EspressNet. SelfServe will soon also be able to convert print files to the ePub format suitable for e-readers.
The EBM provides a new sales channel for publishers, and vastly increases the availability of titles for physical bookstores, significantly reducing loss of sales due to books being out-of-stock. In addition, the EBM technology offers libraries and bricks-and-mortar retailers the opportunity to become community self-publishing centers, providing a new distribution platform for self-published authors. And of course the EBM improves overall efficiency and environmental sustainability by eliminating shipping and the return and pulping of unwanted books.
About On Demand Books
On Demand Books was cofounded in 2003 by Jason Epstein, former Editorial Director of Random House; Dane Neller, former CEO of Dean & DeLuca; and Thor Sigvaldason, former technology consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Espresso Book Machines have been placed in bookstores, libraries, universities, and other locations in the USA, Canada, the UK, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean. In September 2010, On Demand Books and Xerox announced a partnership whereby Xerox will market, sell or lease and service the Espresso Book Machine worldwide. Made in the USA, Espresso Book Machines are environmentally efficient, reducing production, shipping, and waste. For more information, go to www.ondemandbooks.com.
About BookBaby
BookBaby is a leading eBook publishing company for independent authors. The company offers a full array of services including eBook formatting, cover design, and distribution, as well as short run book printing. BookBaby is part of the AVL Digital family of businesses, which also includes Disc Makers, CD Baby, FilmBaby, and HostBaby. http://www.bookbaby.com
Related story: Transaction Publishers Joins the Espresso Book Machine Network