Details About HarperCollins New Print-on-Demand Program

Last week we posted that HarperCollins was going to make 500o backlist titles available to readers via a new print-on-demand (POD) partnership with On Demand Books and their Espresso Book Machine.

HC has made a news release and an open letter to writers available on their web site.

Direct to “Open Letter to Authors”
By HarperCollins CEO, Brian Murray:

“We see this as an opportunity to eliminate situations where our backlist titles are “temporarily out of stock.” The Espresso Book Machine, combined with high quality HarperCollins backlist titles, allows independent bookstore to sell HarperCollins books that they were previously unable to carry in their store due to space limitations. Now, it just takes the push of a button. The price and royalty paid on sales of books manufactured on the Espresso Book Machine are the same as books that are printed traditionally.”

Details About the Program in HC News Release (via TeleRead)

“Even as digital book sales grow, bookstores continue to be an important place for customers to shop for physical books. The goal of this initiative is to give the local bookseller the capability to provide customers with a greater selection of HarperCollins titles in a physical environment,” said Brian Murray, President and Chief Executive Officer of HarperCollins Publishers. “For authors this is a win; titles will be more broadly available, which increases sales with full print royalties. Depending on the size of the store, 25%-80% of our backlist titles are not stocked due to physical space limitations. DPR technology means the books will be there for the consumer at small and large bookshops.”

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HarperCollins trade paperback books, including adult and children’s titles, will be available on Espresso Book Machines starting in November. Titles from Zondervan and HarperCollins Canada will be available early next year.

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