Mangled paper or not I still envy you the fact that you saw the EBM in action! I agree w/you that it’s a work in progress but the fact that you watched the machine in action is still pretty cool. Years from now you’ll be able to say that, “I was there when…”

As a machine, the technology is improving but still immature. As a concept, I believe this is the way forward… and let’s get serious here, what they are selling ARE eBooks. Furthermore, as others have commented, this is already how many books are sold. Everyone is buying POD books whether you realize it or not. The EBM is the same concept without the volume and shipping components. The titles live in a database as .pdf files and are produced in print on demand. Calling these books anything other than ebooks is a bit like calling a printed email message something other than email, no?

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone with a much better grasp of production technology comes along and takes the concept to the next level when the time is right (think Xerox). What would that ‘next level’ look like? Well, for academic libraries, it would be a benefit to simply offer a digital catalog of titles for patron review, allow real-time review and selection, then print the book complete with barcode and spine label integrated onto the cover while passing a cataloging record over to the OPAC. Of course, I’m skipping over a dozen moving parts, but this is the type of application where the EBM concept will shine.

I’ve been tracking, on and off, the development of the Espresso Book Machine and am totally fascinated by it. Back in 2006 we posted an article about it to the CCF website and just today we found a press release from the Xerox Corporation announcing that Xerox’ technology is to fuel the Espresso Book Machine. Even more promising for what has been termed “the ATM for books,” is the fact that Xerox’ worldwide agreement with On Demand Books includes global marketing and sales support.

This technology should be able to help us get our hands on out of print books and it should help small publishers also, as they won’t be forced to keep large inventory of titles on hand.

I am an author, editor, and bookseller and don’t see the Espresso Book Machine and related technologies, whether they be amazon.com’s Kindle, etc, as threats but rather as enlarging the water from which readers worldwide can more easily satisfy their thirts.

There is no EBM right now in D.C.; that was only a temporary exhibit in 2007.

A complete list of EBM locations is here:
http://www.ondemandbooks.com/our_ebm_locations.htm

Michael Pastore
50 Benefits of Ebooks

As for my putative novel, it is at this point still very much in manuscript form. Rest assured, though, I’ll be alerting the TeleRead community when it’s ready for eyes other than mine. Thanks for the interest – and you’ve hit upon a very good point. I should get an email list going. For that I’m going to need a real website, as opposed to a free blog. It’s on my list!

From the ODB website:

“In April 2008, ODB announced a strategic partnership with LSI to share expertise and create a future collaborative digital platform for books. Under the agreement, ODB has the use of LSI’s digital conversion facilities and the right to print LSI’s vast library of titles, pending publisher approval. LSI also provides sales and marketing support for the EBM with publishers and retailers.”

Change of theme:

I’m now going over to your website, Court, to sign up for your email list, to learn more about your forthcoming novel.

Michael Pastore
50 Benefits of Ebooks

When an Espresso Book Machine in a Vermont library prints a book authored by Court Merrigan, then Merrigan (or his publisher or agent) instantly receives an electronic payment for his share of the book’s retail price. That’s a great deal for the author-and-publisher: much less of the retail price is lost to the middleman.

All this information is stored “in the clouds”. And that computer in my living room closet (next to my EBM surprise birthday gift — are you reading this, honey?) simply accesses that information. I don’t need to have the megabytes of every book and every database stuffed onto my small and fragile hard drive.

This (above) is how I’m interpreting the EBM system, based on Jason Epstein’s Book (==Book Business==), and his website, and his many talks on this subject. (I could easily be wrong by a few million miles. Until I actually try this out, I’m just one of the blind men feeling the trunk of the elephant.)

Epstein shares the ideal of Brewester Kahle: “Universal access to all knowledge.” Of course, there is a “slight” difference: Kahle wants a lot of this knowledge to be free.

I’ve heard that there is an Espresso Book Machine in downtown D.C. … maybe a D.C. resident who is also a TeleRead reader could try it out some time. And also ask a few pertinent questions about this thing. And request some best-selling books, as well as some obscure ones.

One more thought: this machine might be a key to the renewal of small and independent bookstores. If the buyer needs to wait 10 minutes — or even an hour or two — for the book to be printed — is that so bad? … You can have a coffee, or just come back later, or the next day. Or, begin reading the free ebook copy of the paperback you’ve just ordered.

Michael Pastore
50 Benefits of Ebooks

Two big problems with that, though:

1) Getting that information on your hard drive – think of all the copyrights, etc., to wade through;
2) You’ve still only got one machine. E.g., one book at a time. Or, at best, several. I think this will work wonderfully with smaller, underground title, or self-publishing, or, in a small indie bookstore. But for indie bookstores we’re returned to dilemma #1. Would buying an Espresso machine entitle you to the rights for every book ever published, or that would be published? How much would that cost?

No doubt, as Chris says, in time the technology will improve, so that an Espresso machine might actually be the size of an ATM machine. Assuming the rights issue could be worked out, this would work for an indie bookseller, online or brick and mortar.

I doubt indies are going to work the rights issue out. (Or maybe a pay-for-each-copyright system could be instituted?) But a behemoth like Amazon might.

I am optimistic, though, as I said above.

The goal is universal access: every book ever written, available — your choice — either as an ebook, or as a paperback (or hardcover) printed while you wait. And (eventually) in your choice of book size, font size, font face, cover image, and so on.

All that’s needed is a database of titles, and a repository of files. … It seems that this is too important to place in the hands of one private company. Whoever owned this would become master of the publishing universe.

With that information tucked on your hard drive, you could run, literally, “the planet’s biggest bookstore” from a large closet in your living room.

Michael Pastore
50 Benefits of Ebooks

Even so, I expect that it’s as others have said: this will be mainly a bookstore fixture, a way to augment the inventory they can carry on their shelves.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility that in a few years we might see bookstores maintaining an in-stock inventory of just one or two copies per title, even of the stuff they do stock physically—when when that copy is sold, they just print out another. The customer doesn’t wait, but the store doesn’t have to keep inventory.