One of the most exciting innovations in publishing in my opinion has been in the field of print production and the introduction of print on demand (POD). This has meant that the entry level costs for new publishers has come down drastically and for the first time it has allowed many of the smaller publishers to take greater risks to publish books which before would have required a huge investment.
Another huge barrier for the smaller publisher in the past was the cost of distribution. With increased fuel prices and prohibitively expensive insurance on shipping and air freight it has been difficult for publishers to move their stock around from country to country. Now publishers can simply email a pdf to the other side of the world and have it printed locally with virtually no distribution costs at all!
Large capacity POD machines are still huge beasts but “Expresso” POD machines are now only a little bigger than a full colour photocopier. One of the more exciting predictions to look forward to is the possibility in the not too distant future of POD machines being no bigger than a desktop printer. Not only will you be able to download your ebook onto a kindle or iPad5 in the future but you will also be able to print off a hard copy within 10 minutes of hitting enter! Imagine the social impact that this would have on literacy and personal development not only here but in the remotest areas of the third world. The children of the future will no longer be asking for a box set of the Harry Potter series (or the blockbuster book of the day) but they’ll ask, “Daddy can I have a POD printer for Christmas?” and bookworm in Zimababwe will be able to go to the town library and print off the complete works of Shakespeare!
Jamil Chishti
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