Print on Demand and Libraries

Print on Demand and Libraries

 Introduction

What is Print on Demand, Publish on Demand, or POD services? This is “the printing technologies and associated business model under which smaller numbers of books, as few as a single copy, are printed only after an order has been received” (Dougherty, 2009).

Print on Demand can include digital and print copies of books, magazines, and periodicals. Digital printing has made printing a small number of books viable in that it is now practical to print 50 or 100 copies of a book rather than thousands (Alexander, 2008). Although the cost of digital printing remains a bit higher, it becomes an attractive option when compared with the cost of warehousing and capital tied up in printed books.

Literature Review

Traditional vs. Print on Demand

Alexander (2008) notes the steps of traditional publishing when compared with print on demand publishing. In traditional publishing, a book is reviewed for content and viability. Once it is approved, a contract is signed for publishing rights, marketing, and promotion. After the book is reviewed, edited, and polished, a few thousand copies are printed. Some go to distributors and booksellers while the majority go into warehouses. When a sale is made, all parties involved get a percentage. The bookseller gets 40% and the distributor gets 10%. The publisher percentage is divided among printing, marketing, warehousing, and capital (15%-25%). Finally the author gets their royalty (10%). If a book does not sell well, the publisher sells off warehoused copies at deep discounts and does not order another print run. The book essential goes out of print.

Industry Changes

So how did print on demand change the industry? In the print on demand business model nothing really goes out of print because books are only printed when they are ordered. With the rise of self-publishing, authors can bypass the traditional publishing steps and fees to recoup a larger royalty and more control over their work. Two companies played a key role in changing the publishing industry: Amazon.com and Lightning Source. “Print on demand (POD) changes the publisher’s business model more significantly than short-run printing does because it eliminates the warehouse and essentially does away with financial risk” (Alexander, 2008).

Amazon initially brought a larger selection of books than brick-and-mortar stores could offer at aggressively discounted prices. In addition, it provided used books and books not available through normal distribution channels such as textbooks (Alexander, 2008). There are many author-services POD companies like Amazon’s BookSurge and CreateSpace. Others like iUniverse and Xlibris that offer POD services have Lightning Source doing most of the printing for them. As a subsidiary of Ingram (the biggest trade-book wholesaler), books printed by Lightning Source are automatically listed with Ingram. (Alexander, 2008).  This allows small publishers new alternatives previously unavailable such as offering bookstores 40% discounts.

Although smaller presses use print on demand publishing more, commercial publisher can also take advantage of the technology. In August 2008 POD Service Lightning Source was able to aid Epicenter Press by producing trade paperback versions of the high demand book Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska’s Political Establishment Upside Down by Kaylene Johnson when interest increased after John McCain’s unexpected nomination of the Alaska governor for the Republican Party’s Vice-President slot (Doughtery, 2008). This example illustrates how POD and traditional publishers have found a partnership.

So where do libraries enter the picture and how can print on demand services change how libraries serve the public?

POD in Libraries

To reproduce out-of-print titles may be the most useful and least troublesome to libraries for replacing damaged or lost books from a collection (Dougherty, 2009; Chamberlain, 2012). One partnership that emerged for providing out of print materials to libraries was the 1999 partnership of Baker and Taylor with self-publisher Xlibris, forming POD division Replica Books (The Free Library, 1999). However, librarians who already have to warn patrons about what they read on the Internet may also have to maintain a list of trustworthy presses as well as only 25-30% of print-on-demand companies perform any type of manuscript screening (Dougherty, 2009).

One growing piece of technology in POD services is the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). These machines can provide a small, relatively cheap print and binding service through a single machine in a “few minutes.” The two main elements of the EBM are the printing hardware itself and the EspressNet delivery service. The EspressNet has ready access to a large amount of public domain material and some in-copyright material made available under specific agreements with publishers (Chamberlain, 2012). Patrons can print books on demand for a fee—in the range of about $8 to $12 for a 200-page book that recoups operational costs, not including capital, surplus, or any maintenance (Rapp, 2011).

The impact on libraries using EBM and EspressNet would likely be growth of the collection, and changes in policy and practices regarding collection development. This would reduce the need for a large collection. The short turn-around provided by on demand printing could act as a cheaper quicker supplement to inter-library loan services (Chamberlain, 2012). Why pay upwards of [$46] for inter-library loans when an EBM can print it for a fraction of the cost.

As popularity of self-published titles grow, libraries are able to access a more diverse collection of work. POD can provide copies of materials in a variety of languages that were previously unavailable, as well as access to out of print and obscure titles.

Challenges and Advantages 

Copyright

“The EBM provides a way for library patrons to get print versions of these publishers’ selected backlist titles—providing that patrons are willing, and able, to pay for them” (Rapp, 2011). However, a major challenge of using POD for libraries is that of copyright. The EspressNet database mainly includes public domain works. Chamberlain’s (2012) suggests copyright calculator software to gauge copyright status of a work. However, these calculators are only as effective as the information available.

Another barrier regarding copyright is that it is not advantageous to publishers to make current titles available when they do not expect a significant number of sales in the library setting. However, a few of the publishers, including Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Hachette Book Group, who are notable for making their eBook titles unavailable for library lending, do allow their titles to be printed on demand (Rapp, 2011).

Quality

Another challenge faced by POD users is that printed books may be of lesser quality (Dougherty, 2009; Chamberlain, 2012). The quality of the input can be a detriment to the finished product. Additionally, the high speed printing machines used for the majority of digitally printed books cannot produce color prints with high quality, and the cost per book increases dramatically for color (Alexander, 2008).

In the past, the selectivity of traditional publishers has kept poor quality work from being published. Traditional publisher have editorial staff that perform fact checking and ensure information is accurate. This is important because the work may be used as source material in future research. In this respect, Doughtery (2008) states that POD may not be the best option for scholarly work. Libraries may also be hesitant to add such works to their collections, as an important aspect of library services is to provide accurate and trustworthy material for research.

Acquisitions and Collection Development

Professional review publications such as Publishers Weekly offer important resources for acquisitions and collections. However, self-published books are seldom listed in these journals and instead rely on online reviews for promotion and marketing. Although, the beauty of quickly producing a book is that it meets immediate demands. The ability to have books in 2 days rather than 2 weeks to capitalize on current trends makes the difference (Dougherty, 2009). As POD publishing has become more prevalent, it has also gained more acceptance. The advent of eReaders has bolstered the use of POD services that offer a greater number and variety of books.

Cost

For libraries to become “publishers” has its downside as well. The price tag for purchasing and maintaining an Express Book Machine may not be feasible for libraries on a budget. In Rapp’s 2011 article, Sacramento Public Library purchased an EBM for $151,000 through a grant from California State Library.

Conclusion

With print on demand publishing there is no longer a “gate” with which only big publishers decide who become published. Because anyone can now publish, a more diverse voice has emerged in the marketplace. Works can be published on just about any subject, in any language, and be available worldwide. The downside to self-publishing is that the quality control that traditional publishers offered is not there. While there are great titles being published, there are also poorly written, edited, and crafted materials in circulation, usually with a higher per book price tag.

After reading about print on demand for libraries I now have a greater understanding of the ways that libraries could benefit, especially in regard to collection. Digitizing would enable obscure works to finally be accessed. However, it could be a drain on already tight resources for large collections. Chamberlain’s (2012) solution to this is gradual digitization based on patron requests, passing on costs to the end user at the point of request. While still a relatively new technology, print on demand publishing is growing and establishing its place in both the publishing world, and in the libraries that rely on the industry.

References

Alexander, G. (2008). Print on demand and the changing face of book publishing. In: Seybold report Analyzing Publishing Technologies. 8(11), 9-13.

Chamberlain, E. (2012). Investigating faster techniques for digitization and print-on-demand. New Review of Academic Librarianship. 18(1), 57-71.

Dougherty, W.C. (2009). Print on demand: What librarians should know. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35(2), 184-186.

Rapp, D. (2011). Espresso Print-on-Demand Book Machines Making Inroads at Public Libraries. The Digital Shift: Library Journal and School Library Journal. Retrieved June 2, 2015 from http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2011/11/publishing/espresso-print-on-demand-book-machines-making-inroads-at-public-libraries/

The Free Library. (1999) Xlibris teams with Baker & Taylor. Retrieved June 2, 2015 from http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Xlibris+Teams+with+Baker+%26+Taylor.-a057487783