When it Comes to Books, Don’t Fear the Reaper
Those in the printing business show no sign of fear in the industry. There are signs of consolidation, none of collapse, and though digital still accounts for a small segment of the business, this will not be the case forever. From an ideal economic analysis point of view, any and all books would be printed on demand. Eliminating the need for storage space and any extra copies reduces overhead. This obviously is not realistically feasible, but, in general, the closer the supply comes to the demand, the greater the profit. This means that, as small run technologies become faster, cheaper and more efficient, more titles will find digital to be the best market option. So it seems, once again, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was correct: “...the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
- Companies:
- Muller Martini