Re: Electronic OA plus print on demand model for books

[Ahmed Hindawi <ahmed.hindawi@hindawi.com>]

Joe, this is not actually true. Offset printing has a high=20
initial/fixed cost for a print run and a lower marginal cost per=20
copy. POD has (almost) zero initial/fixed cost and high marginal=20
cost per copy. At smaller number of copies, the cost per copy of=20
POD is much smaller than regular offset printing. At larger=20
number o copes, the cost per copy of POD becomes higher than the=20
regular offset printing.

The number of copies at which POD stop being more cost effective=20
than offset printing depends on a number of parameters (including=20
whether the printing is in color or not), but it used to be in=20
the area of a couple of hundreds of copies. More recently, we=20
have started using a vendor who is giving us prices that make POD=20
less costly for B&W books for any print runs up to 1000-1500=20
copies. I was very impressed. At 200 to 500 copies, the=20
difference in cost is very substantial.

Ahmed Hindawi

On Thu, Jun 10, 2010 at 4:05 AM, Joseph Esposito <espositoj@gmail.com> wrot=
e:

> I am afraid Heather is misinformed about the economics of print=20
> on demand. =A0The unit cost for POD is significantly higher than=20
> for books printed on offset equipment. =A0The savings for POD,=20
> when they exist, come about from the absence of a need to=20
> manage inventory. =A0If you can sell only one or two copies, POD=20
> is more efficient. =A0If you can sell 1,000 (or 100,000, for that=20
> matter), start the presses.
>
> As for the idea that ebooks will represent a market that is=20
> substantially additive to the print market, well, what was that=20
> line from Hemingway? =A0'Wouldn't it be nice to think so?'
>
> Joe Esposito
>
> On Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 2:22 PM, Heather Morrison
> <hgmorris@sfu.ca> wrote:
>> Joe Esposito wrote:
>>
>> Book professionals are now forecasting that in five years, 25% of
>> the book market will be electronic. How can anyone expect to sell
>> print under these circumstances?
>>
>> Comment:
>>
>> Assuming that this forecast is correct - that 25% of the book
>> market will indeed be electronic in five years, does this not
>> mean that 75% of the book market will be print? =A0If sales of
>> e-book editions take off, this does not necessarily mean a
>> corresponding decrease in print - the 75% could be 75% of a
>> larger market.
>>
>> Within the next few years, it should be possible to greater lower
>> the cost of print books through print-on-demand. =A0It makes sense
>> to me that people would make use of a book espresso machine at
>> their university library or bookstore, and pay a modest fee for
>> the book production and print-on-demand rights, as the high cost
>> of attempting to distribute limited edition academic books on a
>> worldwide basis are thereby eliminate, as are all sales and most
>> marketing costs.
>>
>> Another possible model is a completely free internet-based
>> edition, with revenue generated by value-add electronic versions,
>> i.e. the web browser version is free, but there is a modest fee
>> for the Kindle version.
>>
>> Heather Morrison, MLIS
>> The Imaginary Journal of Poetic Economics
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