I’ve just finished signing an agreement with Lightning Source Inc (LSI, the print on demand company we use for all our publications) that will now make available all Five Rivers’ titles through the most innovative piece of printing technology since the Gutenberg Press — the Espresso Book Machine (EBM).

What this means to the average person is wherever there’s an Espresso, they’ll be able to order a copy of any book in Five Rivers’ (or any other partner in the program), wait 10 minutes and walk away with a custom printed book.

What this means to booksellers is an opportunity to carry literally thousands of books without paying the cost of an enormous space, which also means a savings in heat, hydro, staff. It means reduced shipping costs. It means a greener alternative for everyone through a reduction in the consumption of fossil fuels to heat and light an enormous retail and warehousing space, to fuel vehicles for shipping stock. It means a reduction in the number of trees ending up in landfill by way of returned books that don’t sell. It means better inventory control.

What this means to Five Rivers, and other publishers, is yet another opportunity to reach a global market without having to enter into separate, and often exclusionary, distribution and publication agreements with international legacy house partners.

As of February 2009, On Demand Books’ (ODB) first-generation EBMs have been installed in 12 locations worldwide, with many more planned:
• World Bank InfoShop, Washington, D.C. (exhibition, 2007)
• New York Public Library, New York, NY (exhibition, 2007)
• New Orleans Public Library, New Orleans, LA
• Internet Archive, San Francisco, CA
• University of Michigan Library, Ann Arbor, MI
• Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, VT
• University of Alberta Bookstore, Edmonton, AB, Canada
• McMaster University Bookstore, Hamilton, ON, Canada
• Newsstand UK, London, England
• Library of Alexandria, Alexandria, Egypt
• Angus & Robertson Bookstore, Melbourne, Australia

• Blackwell UK Bookstore, London, England
Coming soon:
• McGill University Library, Montreal, QC, Canada (2.0 beta test site, part of McGill’s
digitization initiative)
• University of Waterloo Bookstore, Waterloo, ON, Canada (2.0 beta test site)
• Brigham Young University Bookstore, Provo, UT
• Hundreds more are expected in libraries, bookstores, and other sites around the world.