iPod, meet POD

Also known as Publishing on Demand. Imagine a world where you can order a book - ANY book - and it will be printed right in front of you while you sip your latte. That's the promise of publishing on demand - every corner bookstore will be able to provide any book ever written, on paper (none of these expensive, fragile e-books) and you can take it home the immediately - no need for shipping. If you've read 'The long Tail' (and if you haven't I really encourage you to do so, it's a great read) you know that books are the ideal product for the internet economy - there's a market somewhere for almost every book, just as there is for almost every song. And so, just as the iPod and online music sales created a huge shift in music purchasing, publishing on demand is set to make a big change in book publishing.

And in my opinion it's about time. I can't wait - no more out of print books. (Finally I can get my Dune Encyclopedia) Hallelujah!

Read the Times article about this phenomenon here
'The Long Tail' is available on Amazon here