As booksellers weigh the costs of leasing an Espresso Book Machine, which can also include rearranging their store, or working with a local copy shop to offer print-on-demand services, the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance is providing a third option. Next month at the fall regional trade show in New Orleans, SIBA plans to launch a POD publishing program of its own. “The goal is a bookstore can bring the book [or manuscript] to us,” SIBA exexecutive director Wanda Jewell told PW.
SIBA will handle the prep work and copyright clearance for bookseller projects and is plannning to partner with Ingram Content Group’s Lightning Source on printing. All book projects must be prepaid. SIBA booksellers will be shareholders in the as-yet-unnamed venture. If a book were to take off, SIBA members would share financially in its success.
In many respects the SIBA venture resembles the Print-to-Order copublishing program that the American Booksellers Association explored launching with Applewood Books in Carlisle, Mass. at Winter Institute and BookExpo America in 2008. It was to have been administered by the ABA with Applewood and offered publishing options—and royalty income—to booksellers.
