New Demands Result From Print-on-Demand —Michelson

Take this month’s cover story on Lightning Source written by California-based, veteran industry journalist Noel Jeffrey (who recently joined us to beef up our West Coast and digital printing coverage). Outputting roughly 40,000 books every day—with the average number of books per title printed being less than two—publishers serviced by Lightning Source no longer need to maintain expensive in-stock inventories. Orders are fulfilled in a remarkable 12-hour turnaround from order receipt. Backlist titles never go out of print, providing publishers with additional revenue streams not feasible without on-demand book manufacturing. Very short run, even one-off books, become highly affordable. Providing publishers with a whole new business model, Lightning Source offers a solution that meets, and even surpasses, client expectations.