Book publishers can now join a service provided by Xerox called Book In Time. This service uses Xerox's high-end digital printers to produce soft-cover books in small batches, from one to a thousand. Publishers can now keep books in print for longer periods of time, an especially alluring option for niche titles and educational titles. For more information on Book In Time, go to http://www.xerox.com/bookintime/index.htm. A similar service is also available from Lightning Print, a division of Ingram. Lightning Print will create a digital copy of any book for a small fee. Afterwards, booksellers can order copies of the digital book as needed directly from the Lightning Print website at http://www.lightningprint.com/.

A second innovation in the digital document industry is the creation of digital books for mass consumption. SoftBook and NuvoMedia have introduced the SoftBook ($300) and the Rocket eBook ($500), respectively. These two devices allow you to download electronic books and then read them anywhere you wish. The devices are handheld and range in size from a paperback book to an educational textbook. Since this type of technology is still quite new, there are only a limited number of titles available. However, both SoftBook and NuvoMedia believe this will change quickly with the addition of more titles and also professional journals and newspapers. You can view the devices and the available titles at the following sites: http://www.softbook.com/softbook_sys/index.html and http://www.barnesandnoble.com/subjects/ebooks/ebooks.asp.

Points to Ponder:

1. What do you predict will be the future of physical books, bookstores, and traditional book publishing? How will digital books affect education and the publishing business?

2. After reading about the digital book readers, would you consider buying one of these devices to use on vacations, while travelling on business, and at other times when it is inconvenient to carry the actual books? If not, what might make you change your mind?