Print on Demand may be the future of the book industry

  • 2011-12-27
With the recent demise of retail book-store chains Angus & Robertson and Borders, and the advent of cheap digital publishing, some might think that the future of the traditional paper back or hard cover book is at risk - but this may not be the whole story.

As the market adjusts to the impact of new technologies, like Amazon’s Kindle, the retail book trade needs to look for alternative methods of printing to keep ahead. One possible option is known as ‘Print on Demand’. In the Australian publishing industry, initial Print runs are usually small batches of around 5000 copies. However, for a small, independent or even self-published author, the pre-press and ‘start up’ costs can still be prohibitive. Print on Demand allows the author or publisher to release their book in an inexpensive digital format and have the customer pay a printing service for a hard copy of the document which can be collected from the local printing company – even in Mooloolaba.

Bloomberg reported earlier this year that Amazon’s e-book sales now outnumber traditional book sales and that the trend is growing – especially given the recent release of even cheaper Amazon Kindle e-readers. Although Australia has been slow to join the digital revolution, it is beginning to catch up. Bookseller and Publisher Online reported that retail book chain Dymocks have just launched D Publishing, a web-based service specifically designed to allow self-published authors to access the Print on Demand market for a relatively small fee.
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