NEW YORK, NY – Lightning Source Inc., an Ingram Content company focused on enhancing book sales for publishers with innovative, low cost and minimum risk print on demand solutions, today announced the availability of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) distribution channel to all publishers that work with the company.

The EBM, an ATM for books, is located in bookstores, libraries and other sites. The Espresso Book Machine is the latest pioneering distribution channel to join the Lightning Source family of publisher-to-market pathways. The Lightning Source Espresso Book Machine Channel will give publishers the option to make available the books they have stored in the Lightning Source digital library, and have those titles printed, bound, and delivered at point of sale, on demand, in minutes.

New publishers that participate in the EBM channel will join a growing and impressive roster of current Lightning Source publishers already participating, which include John Wiley & Sons, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, and other innovative publishers.

On Demand Books will be demonstrating the new Espresso Book Machine Version 2.0 at BookExpo America in New York at Booth 4069. Visit either the Lightning Source booth (Booth 3859) or the On Demand Books booth for more information on the EBM and the Lightning Source Espresso Book Machine channel. More information can also be found on the Lightning Source and On Demand Books websites.

"We're very excited to be able to bring this innovative new channel to our 8,000 publishing customers," said David Taylor, President of Lightning Source. "Lightning has innovation in its bloodstream, so we were determined to embrace the Espresso Book Machine and add their delivery model to our rapidly growing network of channels."

Mr. Taylor continued, "The Espresso Book Machine in store model clearly has a place in the emerging landscape of globally distributed on demand print. In the 'either/and' world in which we live, here is yet another option for publishers to get their content into the hands of readers. It's good news at a time when no one can afford to miss a sale."

Print on demand has brought about a fundamental shift in the way in which publishers are bringing books to market and in turn, how booksellers are selling them. Rather than having to estimate the demand for every title before it is printed, digital technology is powering a revolution - a revolution in which a sale of a book is made before a copy even exists. Using print on demand, when a book is sold, it is printed and bound as fast as a book can be picked off a book shelf -- either using traditional or point of sale print on demand. When pairing on-demand print with a streamlined globally distributed print model, publishers are:

• Furthering international strategies by entering new markets and extending distribution and fulfillment reach

• Driving more book sales without the addition of new titles

• Using print on demand to mitigate returns

• Repurposing existing title lists to drive new revenue streams with large print and alternate languages

• Revitalizing sales with valuable backlist content

• Providing universal and instant access to a multitude of books

• Removing supply chain costs from their business models

"Blackwell has had fantastic support from publishers especially since they were able to see the EBM at our bookshop in Charing Cross Road, said Andrew Hutchings, Blackwell Group Chief Executive Officer. "Having seen the quality of the book it produces, several publishers have agreed to provide content and we have much more content in the pipeline. We're looking forward to a rapid expansion of available content, moving us much closer to our goal of 1 million titles available on the Espresso Book Machine."

"On Demand Books is delighted to offer publishers and retailers a point-of-sale solution for books printed on demand, in minutes," said Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books. Mr. Neller continued, "The Espresso Book Machine, which is essentially an ATM for books, allows Lightning Source content to reach readers at lightning speed. This reverses a 500-year-old distribution model of 'print-ship-sell,' with a new, radically decentralized, in-store model of 'sell, then print.' "

The confirmation of the growth in the use of print on demand by publishers was recently validated publicly by Bowker, one of the world's leading sources for bibliographic information. Recent statistics that were released by Bowker in a May 19th news release indicate that 2008 was an extraordinary year in the growth of print on demand in the publishing industry.