The NDSU Bookstore at Cityscapes has a machine that enables the store to produce library-quality, perfect bound paperback books. The new Espresso Book Machine can produce books from almost a limitless inventory of digital titles in multiple languages, including rare and out-of-print public domain titles.
According to staff members at the store, the books produced by the machine are indistinguishable from paperback books produced by major publishing houses. Featuring a full-color cover and black and white interior, a 300-page book can be printed, bound and trimmed in roughly four minutes. The machine also represents a unique opportunity for authors wanting to see their work in book form.
Local customers can receive books within seven to 10 days. In September 2009, Google and On Demand Books LLC, the maker of the Espresso Book Machine, signed an agreement to offer its patrons immediate access to more than 2 million public-domain titles in the Google digital files. This unprecedented number of reading options is in addition to the current 1.6 million titles available to NDSU Bookstore at Cityscapes via the book machine’s catalog.
Self-publishing guidelines will be available in the coming weeks.
"The Espresso Book Machine will revolutionize the concept of a book and publishing. Print On Demand opens new opportunities for NDSU as well as the other campuses in the university system. I'm excited for all would-be authors out there," said NDSU Bookstore director Carol Miller.
The Espresso Book Machine was named to Time Magazine’s Best Inventions of 2007 list. Made in the U.S., the machines are environmentally friendly green machines. For more information go to www.ondemandbooks.com.
The NDSU Bookstore is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed on Sundays. For more information, go to www.ndsubookstore.com or contact Jennifer Autumnstar, general book supervisor, at 1-5744 or jennifer.autumnstar@ndsu.edu.