Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Digital Book Information
The Digital Book Information
The Digital Book Information
The book is the “fabulous invalid” of the printing industry, its imminent death regularly
predicted. The future of printed books is still debated, but it seems less likely that digital
technology will kill books than that it will just change how they are produced.
Those arguing that books and book Self-publishing is when an author with a company such as Lulu.com, a
production are dead (or at least dying) pays, publishes, and markets his book printing and distribution service with
cite evidence of lower book readership, himself. Although so-called “vanity headquarters in Morrisville, N.C., which
fewer book publishers, comparisons of presses”—which usually charge hun- offers print-on-demand publishing
the costs of long offset runs versus dreds of dollars or more in up-front fees (printing at several sites in the U.S., U.K.,
shorter digital runs, and the book distri- to cover editing and promotion—have and Spain) and fulfillment through an
bution model. On the other side of the been around a long time, affordable self- online store stocked with its customers’
argument are those who maintain that publishing is a relatively new option. In products.
print production is evolving and the past, most authors who wanted to
morphing with digital and online tech- publish a book had to submit their work Revenue Triples
nologies, and that anyone taking advan- to publishers who routinely rejected 98% The company, which has produced an
tage of this evolution will be able to use it of unsolicited manuscripts. average 167,000 books per month this
for any printing application capable of year (up from 122,000 in its best month
Many self-publishers don’t put
digital transference. last year), announced in May 2006 that it
books on shelves, but on Web pages.
This is not a new controversy—but had revenue of $1 million, a huge jump
Xlibris Trade Publications (trade paper-
one that is growing in intensity as tradi- from $300,000 in May 2005. It has 45,000
backs, hardbacks, and short books) are
tional book production and distribution titles on its website. Lulu.com allows the
listed on Amazon.com, Borders.com,
strategies are challenged by digital prospective author to choose a layout
and BarnesandNoble.com. For sellers, not
production and online approaches. putting books on
Books may be the first to see the benefits shelves can be a good
of these new production and distribution
strategies, but others will follow.
thing. When books are
put on shelves two “ Each book costs $4 to $7 to produce,
Jeff Jarvis, who writes a provocative
blog at Buzzmachine.com, recently
things happen that
can hurt pricing and
but can be printed in runs of a dozen. ”
posted a report entitled, “The Book is profits. First, book
Dead. Long Live the Book.” Jarvis wrote distributors or wholesalers get a piece of from a bunch of available templates on
that books are “an outmoded means of the pie, and second, books not sold go the site and upload the manuscript files.
communicating information,” and then back to the wholesaler, who can then The company “flows” the text into the
said that they are not alone among media
return them to the publisher for a layout and prints it. Lulu software auto-
that are faced with “better means of
refund. And, books on bookstore shelves matically takes care of the printing and
doing what they do.”
can easily be damaged or stolen. mailing, so the book is never touched by
Affordable Option McGowan’s self-published book a human hand.
But don’t tell that to Kathleen turned into a Cinderella story when it Lulu uses Lightning Source to print
McGowan. Last year, she and her hus- gained wide readership and then was many of its books and get them into
band, Peter, went thousands of dollars picked up for traditional publishing by Amazon and Ingram. Lightning Source
into credit card debt to fly from Los Touchstone, an imprint of Simon & provides the backbone for many self-
Angeles to New York for the Bookkeeper Schuster, as part of a three-book deal for publishers in the print-on-demand
America convention. McGowan had which she received a seven-figure (POD) industry, though BookSurge may
spent several years researching and advance. This may be the exception become more of an option now that it is
writing her novel, The Expected One, rather than the rule, but it points out that owned by Amazon.
Book One of The Magdalene Line, there are new ways of manufacturing Companies such as Lightning
which she subsequently self-published and publishing books. Source, Xlibris, iUniverse and dozens of
early in 2004 through BookSurge Today, anyone with a computer can others use new computer equipment to
Publishing (www.booksurge.com). use a template-based publishing strategy print and bind single book copies that
TECH TRENDS
produce, but can be printed in runs of a and the book is printed, bound, and sent of various configurations. Each site
dozen, compared to $3 to $5 for books to the location. This streamlines the offers varying royalty percentages,
produced by a traditional printer in runs creation and ordering process.” depending on its distribution channel
of hundreds. In time, this type of book building (exclusivity or shared distribution).
Template based production is a capability will make its way into univer-
digital and online technology that is used sity settings, where instructors will be Order of One
for very specific niches today. For able to select chapters from different Digital asset management or client file
example, let’s say you’re Pizza Hut and textbooks; upload worksheets, articles, storage capabilities are also helping to fuel
you want all your franchises to create or syllabi; and design their own course on-demand books and template-based
similar pieces with different specials, but pack/textbook pulling in information printed materials such as manuals. In a
maintain brand integrity by creating from many different sources—in essence self-publishing model, this allows
documents with the right look and feel. personalizing their class content. customers to order one book at a time
Then you can allow individual units to Companies such as EFI, Creo, and (eliminating inventory) and is useful in
design their ads online from templates XMPie are among those now offering other print material scenarios, e.g., a small
and have them printed overnight. variable and/or templated workflows for safety manual printer in Texas uses it to
books, as well as for stationery, mar- enable its oil rig customers to print safety
Tip of the Iceberg keting literature, and advertisements. manuals one at a time. Human Resource
We are seeing only the tip of the iceberg Variable online quotes are another departments can also use this technology
of applications and use of template- new technology employed on many to print “customized” employee manuals,
based design, with technology pioneers book sites, where you can switch as needed, for new employees.
using it for a variety of printed projects
and helping clients reduce costs and The Future of the Book: Doom and Gloom
turnaround times. The Washington
State Department of Printing, for According to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), only 57% of the U.S. population
example, won a 2005 PODi (Print on now reads even one book per year—a decline of 4% in the last decade. The number of
Demand Imitative) Award for its use of adult Americans who regularly read literature—novels, short stories, plays, and poetry—
template-based production. The unit dropped from almost 57% in 1982 to a current level of 46.7%, translating into a loss of
worked with PageFlex to develop a Web- 20 million potential readers.
to-print application that allowed its The NAPL State of the Industry Report 2006 reported that the number of book printers
1,023 users from 367 state agencies to fell about 25% in just the last seven years, and, according to Dr. Joe Webb’s Trendwatch
access design templates, customize them, Study #17 (Spring 2005), book publishers last year represented only about 60% of their
and produce business cards, stationery, 1997 numbers. This is due to a large degree to industry consolidation, with 10 publishers
and brochures. now accounting for more than 80% of annual book publishing revenue, and the top 10
By using Web-based interactive book printers accounting for more than half the book manufacturing revenue.
editing technology, the Department According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 557 book printing companies in
saved more than $10,000 in just four the U.S. in 2002, down from 690 in 1997, with just over half (51%) of these companies
months without reducing the actual employing fewer than 10 people—although companies with 100 or more employees
printed product. The savings were accounted for 82% of the total value of shipments ($4.87 billion in 2002, down from
derived from less proofing, shipping of $5.51 billion in 1997). Strategies on Demand, LLC, estimates total book printing industry
proofs, and preflighting. And the Web- shipments at $5.4 billion in 2005, with Visant (a merger of Von Hoffmann and Jostens),
to-print application reduced turnaround RR Donnelley, and Quebecor World as the top three North American printers.
times—for example, the time for
Lost Revenue
obtaining business cards was reduced by
Another important issue in the book market has been the increase in returns. In 2003, 34%
67% over traditional ordering processes.
of hardcover books (excluding children’s books) were returned to publishers, compared to
According to Amy Bamberger,
28% in 1993. According to the Association of American Publishers, in 2004 those returns
account manager, Printable Technolo-
had a wholesale value of $801 million, up from $743 million the year before. A recent Wall
gies, “Printable’s core technology allows
Street Journal article dates the escalation of returns to the 1990s, when book chains became
for the building of custom books, too. In super-stores and expanded the size of their orders. Retail practices from those chains and
one case, a technology company sends its from discounters have led to an ever-shortening life for best-sellers.
training teams all over the world to train In addition, in anticipation of lost revenue from returns, publishers have raised prices.
customers. The trainers go online and Between 1985 and 2003, hardcover book prices rose 118%—far outpacing the 71% gain
select the specific chapters they need and in the Consumer Price Index—and these price increases have, in turn, hurt sales.
put them in the desired order; they can
(www.bookmarket.com). (www.selfpublishingsearch.com).
PDF proof of what their book will look
like or let them preview it online in a ➤ Fox Acre Press, Takoma Park, Md. ➤ Trafford Publishing, Victoria,
page-by-page format. (www.foxacre.com/bookpage/ British Columbia
bod-address.htm). (www.trafford.com).
Cost Cutting
Consumable and maintenance costs ➤ Instantpublisher, Collierville, Tenn., (NAPL Members: Discuss new technology
determine a large portion of the manu- a subsidiary of Fundcraft Publishing opportunities, or other technical or production-
Company, the world’s largest related issue with your peers in the In
facturing expense for toner-based pages.
personalized cookbook publisher Production member forum at www.napl.org.)
Since the introduction of color toner-
based devices, we have seen a steady (www.instantpublisher.com/).
Howie Fenton, NAPL digital technology
decline in these costs: In the early days of ➤ iUniverse, a Barnes and Noble consultant, provides an array of technology and
color toner production, the fully bur- affiliate, Lincoln, Neb. workflow-related services, including new equip-
dened cost per page was about 75¢; today, (www.iuniverse.com/). ment audits, workflow maximization, productivity
with modest volume, the cost per page enhancements, and quality control initiatives. For
can fall to 25¢, and some manufacturers ➤ Lulu, Inc, Morrisville, N.C. more information, call (800) 642-6275, Ext. 6394,
say high-volume work can cut it to 10¢. (www.lulu.com). or email hfenton@napl.org.