EspressNet® SelfServe For U.S. Publishers
EspressNet SelfServe is the web-based interface that allows publishers to upload their titles directly to EspressNet. EspressNet is the proprietary software that connects the Espresso Book Machine (EBM) to a vast network of content, enabling EBMs to order and print books by retrieving, encrypting, and transmitting files from a multitude of content sources. EspressNet also tracks sales, delivers payment to publishers, and uses industry-standard encryption methods to keep titles safe. With EspressNet SelfServe, you can make your titles available for sale worldwide, within minutes, through the EBM.
EspressNet SelfServe allows titles to be added to EspressNet one at a time. Publishers simply need to provide two print-ready PDFs per book (interior and cover) and, once uploaded, these titles will be available for sale throughout our global network of EBMs almost immediately. You, as publisher, retain full ownership and control over the digital files; this means that you have the ability to modify or delete your books at any time. All sales are tracked by EspressNet, assuring the security of your titles and providing for all payments due to you. And our distribution arrangement is, of course, non-exclusive.
At the moment there is no fee to use EspressNet SelfServe or to participate in the EBM channel. The content provider sets the suggested retail price (SRP), though there is a base minimum of $5.00 per book plus $0.015 per page, and gets 25% of SRP for every book sold. Since the EBM owner pays for consumables and production, the 25% is pure profit to share with your authors. A report and a check in U.S. dollars from a U.S. bank will be mailed to the publisher within 60 days of the end of a month in which at least one book has sold through EspressNet.
All books produced on the EBM are perfect-bound paperbacks, printed with black and white interiors and full-color covers. Books can be any length between 40 and 800 pages, and trim size is infinitely variable between 4.5" x 5" and 8" x 10.5". The interior PDF must fall within our page length and trim size restrictions, and content must be centered on the PDF media box. No crop marks are necessary. The cover PDF must have at least 1/8" bleed and the image should be centered on the PDF media box. All fonts must be embedded, transparencies flattened, and if possible both PDFs should be formatted as PDF/X-1a:2001.
If you're interested, please begin by reviewing our technical requirements to ensure that your book files are compatible with the EBM technology. You can then visit our SelfServe Form for U.S. Publishers (if you are a Non-U.S. Publisher, please click here) to review our terms. Upon agreement, you will receive a user login and password, as well as detailed documentation on how to proceed. Please note that we may ask you to submit one set of files for review before activating your account.
NOTE: Publishers may also add their titles to the EspressNet database via our partnership with Lightning Source. If your titles are already set up with Lightning Source, you can simply sign the EBM addendum to permission your titles for the EspressNet network. Contact your Lightning Source representative to learn more.