Barnes & Noble launches Nook Press Print, a print-on-demand service for authors

Here’s an interesting piece of news from Barnes & Noble – the US book giant is rolling out a new print-on-demand service for authors.

With Nook Press Print, self-published authors and emerging writers can print (as in ‘on paper’) their own professional-grade books. Similar to Amazon’s own Print-on-Demand, Nook’s new offering lets you print a set number of books to meet specific demand, or even test the market. This will be particularly useful for up-and-coming authors who may not have the capital to commit to a huge print run.

However, the service is as much about bringing the power of a printing press to fledgling writers as it is anything else. The do-it-yourself approach means you can now create your own paperback or hardcover book from the comfort of your own home, selecting paper-type, colors, trim-sizes and more.

The prices will of course vary, but based on a 300-odd page black-and-white paperback, of between 6-9 inches, it would cost $7 plus tax and shipping/handling. This price quickly bumps up to $43 if you want it in full premium color.

Though ebooks are certainly an omnipresent force, the printed book is far from dead, with hardcover and paperback still outselling digital in the first half of 2014. So this is likely to prove popular with many.

➤ Nook Press Print