Book Biz: eBook Metrics, Traditional Book Outlook, Inkjet Eggs

eBook Metrics

A new report from Simba Information claims that 75% of the U.S. eBook market belongs to professional and scholarly titles.

But according to this, there is no way to accurately gauge the size of the eBook market because no accurate data collection exists to report all eBook sales.

Hybrid Printing

From mounting an inkjet print head on a web offset press to preprinting offset shells for inkjet imprinting, printers are finding ways to get the best of multiple options by mixing digital and conventional printing.

Traditional Book Outlook

While it’s clear that the digital revolution has transformed book publishers into content providers, the traditional book will share the market with electronic media but not disappear like glass negatives. Even techies concede that the book market will be a shared playing field.

Very Large Format Presses Coming Back

Years ago, Baker Johnson Inc.’s 54” Miller press was called a “dinosaur” when everyone moved to 40” equipment. Big is back, as KBA introduces an 81” offset color press running at 9000 sheets per hour. That translates to printing a 192 page 5 ½ x 8 ½ book on a single press pass (one sheet of paper).

Conde Nast Spear-Phished

A simple email to Conde Nast, seemingly from their printer, Quad Graphics, diverted over $8 million of payments to a new bank account established by the phishers. It was a very sophisticated scam that took weeks to discover but was uncovered before the scammers had withdrawn any of the money.

Eco – Electronics

While the paper industry must constantly defend its environmen tal impact and commits millions of dollars per year to improve its eco-footprint, the electronics industry continues to enjoy little or no scrutiny.

Copyright and Digital Rights Management

While many writers endorse giving your books away online, this is a discussion of rights management in the digital age.

Digital Eggs

In an effort to improve safer egg production through traceability, Domino Printing Sciences has developed inkjet technology to print unique identifiers on individual eggs.

Nook Color Identity Crisis

B&N has released an Android update for the Nook Color that blurs the line between eBook reader and tablet computer.

Third World Paper Mill

While American paper usage is shrinking, the third world embraces paper as an economical medium for information distribution. This is an enormous paper mill in Indonesia.

American Recycled Paper Mill

Fibermark Paper (Alsip, IL) makes 90,000 tons of recycled paper yearly in a plant that no one seemed to want.

Smells So Good

Karl Lagerfeld is preparing to introduce a perfume that smells like books. Bibliophile Lagerfeld claims a 300,000 book library.

Final Thought

When I am dead, I hope it may be said:

His sins were scarlet but his books were read.”

Hilaire Beloc (1870 – 1953)

 

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I've worked in book manufacturing for over 30 years, closing my company Baker Johnson, Inc. in 2005. Currently I work freelance with a large group of publishers, advising them on the printing options available to them as the book industry endures major restructuring.
My wife Cathy is a retired psychologist and spent most of her career working with the youth at Maxey Boys Training School. She is a small mammal rehabilitator with Friends of Wildlife.
Our daughter Whitney is a PharmD working in the Denver area evaluating the pharmaceutical requirements of nursing homes. Our son Eliot lives in Waterloo and is an editor at Mathematical Reviews in Ann Arbor.