Microwave Books??

  Written by Cathie Heath on Jul 26, 2010 5:12 pm

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It seems that technology has launched into warp speed at times,
with information is coming at us from every direction at alarming rates.

Fast and furious, instant gratification is the name of the game.

The Internet has made it possible for all of us to research any idea,
thought or concept that may cross our minds with a few key strokes and
the click of a mouse.

Add smart phones, iPads and Kindles, etc. to the mix, and it would
seem that printed material is going the way of the Wooly Mammoth
and Saber-toothed Tiger.

As a life long reader, however, I still prefer the look, feel
and smell of a REAL book.

According to Alison Flood, writer for guardian.co.uk and former
news editor of The Bookseller, it appears that I am not alone.

When the Espresso Book Machine made its debut at Blackwell’s
Charing Cross Road branch in London, Ms. Flood heralded its arrival
as the “biggest change for the literary world since Gutenberg invented
his printing press more than 500 years ago.”

The implications for a machine that prints and binds over 500,000 titles
on demand…and each in about 5 minutes…may signal the end to some of the
frustrations we’ve all no doubt experienced when a particular book is
out of stock or worse, out of print.

Andrew Hutchings, Blackwell's chief executive, believes this machine
could change the bookselling industry by giving smaller shops the ability
to compete with giants like Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.

The impact on traditional book publishers and sellers is something only
time will tell. However, the implications for "print on demand" book
publishers could mean that marketers who want to get their message out
in book form might have a viable alternative to the now popular electronic
delivery systems.

And I would think that it’s only a matter of time before the business
community taps into this new technology and we begin to “Microwave Book”
machines next to the Red Box video machine at our local grocery stores.

The guardian.co.uk article can be read in its entirety here

Visit me at CathieHeath.com :)

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