Kodak, On Demand Books and ReaderLink Join Forces for In-Store Book Printing

ROCHESTER, NY—Sept. 12, 2012—Eastman Kodak, On Demand Books, and ReaderLink announced they have partnered to revolutionize the way all types of printed books will be marketed, sold and produced at point of sale. The venture brings On Demand Books’ Espresso Book Machine to national retailers integrated with Kodak Picture Kiosks, giving consumers a full-service, digital-to-print media center for all their custom print needs—from photo books, custom/local self-published titles, to educational supplements, and more.

On Demand Books is also working with ReaderLink to bring in-copyright titles to non-trade bookseller channels, allowing customers to have immediate access to a vast array of non-stocked and backlist titles at point of sale. ReaderLink is the largest full-service distributor of books in North America, distributing thousands of books to over 24,000 retail outlets across virtually all substantial mass market, club, drug and grocery chains in the United States.

The Espresso Book Machine is the only digital-to-print at retail solution on the market today. By integrating this solution with the Kodak Picture Kiosk, this capability will be expanded to produce perfect bound, high-quality Kodak Photo Books in minutes for in-store pick up.

“Our partnership with On Demand Books delivers exciting new capabilities to consumers and retailers, and is a great example of Kodak’s focus on bringing innovation to market,” said Laura Quatela, president of Kodak. “Consumers will enjoy getting from our valued retail partners immediate delivery of a whole new offering of high-quality photo books as well as a broad library of book titles. In addition, our retail partners will have new avenues for increased revenue as they expand their photo book sales in-store and deliver a massive list of book titles to their customers instantly.”

Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books, adds, “We are thrilled to be able to work with ReaderLink and our publisher partners to bring a broad list of book titles to Kodak’s vast, worldwide retail footprint and expand the capabilities of the Espresso Book Machine to produce photo books. We envision an integrated solution that can substantially redefine the publishing industry and bring exciting new solutions to customers.”

The partnership will involve North American retailers during 2012 and then expand internationally in 2013. The integrated Kodak Picture Kiosk and On Demand Books solution will include the following features and functionality:

• Integration of the Espresso Book Machine and EspressNet with the Kodak Picture Kiosk.
• Ability to print and bind paperback photo books using Kodak Printers in just minutes.
• Access to more than 7 million in-copyright or public domain books via On Demand’s digital database.
• Assistance with creation and ability to print self-published books of all types.
• Reporting of transactions and customer analytics to both retailers and publishers.

Kodak has a market leadership position in the photo category with worldwide installations of kiosks with national retailers such as CVS/pharmacy in the United States, DM in Germany and Officeworks in Australia, among many others.

About Kodak
As the world’s foremost imaging innovator, Kodak helps consumers, businesses, and creative professionals unleash the power of pictures and printing to enrich their lives.

About On Demand Books
On Demand Books was cofounded in 2003 by Jason Epstein, former Editorial Director of Random House; Dane Neller, former CEO of Dean & DeLuca; and Thor Sigvaldason, former technology consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Espresso Book Machines have been placed in bookstores, libraries, universities, and other locations in the USA, Canada, the UK, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and the Caribbean. Made in the USA, Espresso Book Machines are environmentally efficient, reducing production, shipping, and waste.

About ReaderLink
ReaderLink Distribution Services is the largest full-service book distributor in the North America and is a recognized leader in distribution logistics, value-added category management services, field services and business analytics. ReaderLink is located in Oak Brook, IL.

Source: Kodak.