Tablo, an online self-publishing service based in Melbourne has launched paperback publishing, using print-on-demand for its distribution network to both online and physical retailers.
The company will be partnering with Ingram Content Group, a company which has print facilities and distribution centres in Australia, Asia, Europe and the US. According to Tablo it will be using a global print-on-demand network that displays books as in-stock, but only prints and distributes each book upon purchase. Users are now said to be able to have books distributed to retailers including Amazon, the iBooks Store and Kobo along with physical bookshops such as Barnes & Noble and Readings.
Ingram’s printing in Australia is executed in Melbourne with its business unit Lightning Source Australia.
Ashley Davies, CEO of Tablo says, “We do lean on a number of partners to enable this scale of distribution, like Ingram for availability in catalogues and a printing infrastructure.
“Ingram has a global network in Australia, the UK, the US and Asia and they will be handling our distribution. There are dozens of printing centres around the world that will print and deliver each copy from the closest location to the customer, meaning authors have global availability for their writing, without ever needing an inventory.”
Creating a book and building a profile on Tablo is free, with global distribution ranging from $99 to $299 a year. Tablo says every distribution plan includes all required ISBNs and authors keep all sales proceeds after retailers’ margins.
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Davies says, “We started around five years ago and have built up a strong platform for writers and readers. We have authors in more than 150 countries.
“Today if you want to publish a website or a blog, we know that we can write something, click publish and see our writing online. With Tablo you can now write something, click publish and see an eBook and a paperback book in nearly every bookshop in the world. It is a breakthrough for authors.
“The publishing experience on Tablo is now the simplest and the most comprehensive in the industry. It is a real blogging-style revolution for books.
“An author from New York can drop a book into Tablo and I can walk down to my local bookshop in Melbourne to buy a paperback copy. I can download their book on my Kindle, or have it delivered with Amazon Prime. I can even follow their author profile on Tablo to stay in touch with their writing. It is the kind of availability usually reserved for mainstream authors, and it is easy as clicking publish.
“The technology that allows an author to so easily create a book that’s ready to publish everywhere is Tablo’s own, and we have patents pending for this.
“Even though we have been an online platform, we still prefer the look and feel of a printed book. Buying at a bookshop is still an experience that takes my breath away. There is a real potential for technology to work alongside print, to enable greater access and print on demand for writers.”
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