POD Co. Lightning Source, Major Publishers Team to Provide Content for Espresso Book Machine

Lightning Source has agreed to provide 85,000 titles from 12 different publishers for the Espresso Book Machine.

According to Dear Author, the UK-based print on demand company, Lightning Source, (whose website resembles that of Lulu) will provide books for On Demand Books‘ Espresso Book Machine. The machine now appears in 15 locations around the world with more planned.

Lightning Source says the program is a pilot being offered to publishers already working with the company. The titles will be available to US consumers starting in May ’09.

Publishers involved include:

• John Wiley & Sons
• Hachette Book Group
• McGraw-Hill
• Simon & Schuster
• Clements Publishing
• Cosimo
• E-Reads
• Bibliolife
• Information Age Publishing
• Macmillan
• University of California Press
• W.W. Norton

“We see the Espresso Book Machine as an innovative and exciting way for publishers to get their books out into the market,” says David Taylor, President of Lightning Source. “There is clearly a place for the in-store print on demand model in the emerging landscape of globally distributed print.”

Joe D’Onofrio, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Operations for Simon & Schuster says, “The future has finally arrived in the form of the Espresso Book Machine pilot program. This is an important first step for all publishers in providing readers with universal and instant access to the widest possible catalog of titles in high quality editions.”

Most of the Espresso’s half a million books are in the public domain, but arrangements like this bring in more copyrighted works. The vision of Jason Epstein and On Demand Books is a device able to print and bind any book the consumer wants in under five minutes.

See the Espresso Book Machine in action, either on video or in one of its 15 locations around the world.