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As not-Hepzeeba, I have long said that I would never bet against Jason Epstein, former editorial director of Random House and for 50 years a mainstay of the publishing biz. Epstein is that rare bird: an intellectual heavyweight, who shepherded many of his authors to the Pulitzer Prize, and at the same time a shrewd, enterprising, and shamelessly profit-oriented businessman.

Among the innovations he can lay claim to are:

the trade paperback (which has all but overtaken the mass market paperback format in popularity)

The New York Review of Books (co-founder, with his late ex-wife, Barbara Epstein)

The Reader’s Catalog

The Library of America

and now the Espresso Book Machine, featured as part of his new venture, On Demand Books.

“In theory, every book printed will be digitized, which means the market will be radically decentralized,” Epstein tells Publishers Weekly. The machines are expected to cost about $100,000 each and they will join similar quick-publish efforts such as the InstaBook machine. On Demand Books hopes the Espresso will be used by stores and libraries to print books that are out of stock or hard to find. The New York Public Library has already installed one in its Science, Industry and Business Library.

If you build it, they will come.

More power to Epstein.