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Magazine subscription business Newsstand has become the first publisher in the UK to make use of the print-on-demand Espresso Book Machine, pipping Blackwell to the post after the academic retailer pushed its initial start date back from last autumn.
Newsstand Books, the recently launched division of the online firm, produces out-of-copyright, back-listed, and out-of-print titles, as well as self-published books, collated academic publications and large print versions “of any title”.
Business development manager Jennifer Harrison said the firm is in discussions with UK publishers to obtain the rights to print backlisted book titles, although she declined to offer any further details.
She estimated since setting up in October 500—600 books had been sold via the machine, which had initially expected to be launched in the UK via Blackwell’s UK branches.
Last summer it was announced the bookseller was planning an autumn trial, however this has since been pushed back to April. John Atkins, m.d of Newsstand, said: "There are those who say that the
printed copy is dead and that everything will be read from a screen of one sort or another. We believe that the pleasure and convenience of the printed word will ensure that this does not happen."