Michael Cusack operating the Espresso Book Machine at Books@One in Louisburgh.

Print a book on demand at Books@One

BUDDING authors who wish to publish their works on a print-on-demand basis can avail of that facility at Books@One in Louisburgh, writes Tom Gillespie.

Located there is a state-of-the-art Espresso Book Machine (EBM) printer which prints, collates, with full colour covers, and binds a single book in just a few minutes.

There are fewer than 60 EBMs all over the world and this is the only one of its kind in Ireland and the UK.

Michael Cusack, whose parents were both from Westport, now resides in Lecanvey and is in charge of the EBM.

He was in the States for 30 years, and lived all over the world, but came back to the west four-and-a-half-years ago.

He said: “If you wish to self publish, we can print your book and sell it in the Book@One shop and online, and even help arrange a launch.

“We’re an independent book shop offering a small print-run option at a competitive price - print one or print up to 1,000.

“We offer a one-to-one service and you can even watch your book being printed, which is very exciting.

“We’ll check your book before sending it to print and if you’re printing more than one you’ll get to see the first copy to ensure you’re happy with it.”

When I visited Books@One Micheal was printing Implosion, a children’s book by Muiris Ó Clochartaigh (13) from Castlebar. He started writing the 213-page, 38-chapter book at the age of 10, when he was in fifth class in Scoil Raifteirí, Castlebar, and completed it while in sixth class.

Each copy of his book took about 11 minutes to print.

Michael explained: “The EBM is a remarkable and amazing machine which was shipped over from New York. It was installed here over a year ago and I have been operating it for the past 10 months. You would not expect to find it in Louisburgh.

“I would have printed over 1,000 books for 100 different authors. Sometimes we get an order for just one book and others for up to 200.

“A small book can cost as little as €5.50 per unit to print, with the price increasing according to the number of pages.”

Individual projects can be discussed during a pre-booked free consultation. See www.booksatone.ie/print-on-demand for more details.

To arrange a free consultation, simply call (098) 66885 to make an appointment; drop into the shop and complete a contact form, if you live locally and are a little old fashioned that way; or email ebmbooksatone@gmail.com.

 

* Do you have a story to tell about your business? If so, Tom Gillespie would be delighted to hear from you. Get in touch at (087) 9680780 or gillespietom49@gmail.com.