Green Books vs. Greenbacks - More than Meets the Eye

Green books making headlines should come as no surprise, since green industries are now "in"--and whatever’s "in" is where the money is.

German publisher, Dorling Kindersley,just announced that it has created " a global publishing first, using the most ethical and environmental practices available… with its Made with Care series of striking new books."

Kindersley’s green book transformation includes:

• No paper book jackets
• Used card stock which is 100% recycled
• Printed on FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified paper, which is sourced from responsibly managed forests.
• Used vegetable inks
• Energy-efficient in-line binding process
• Minimized travel for distribution (the books are printed locally in Europe)
• Works with the best environmental printers in the business.

Ebooks – Greener than Green

Several years ago by default, modern technology already started courting Mother Nature when it introduced ebooks to a dot.com marketplace still in its adolescence. Now with the advent of the latest ebook reading devices, the two have just tied the knot and embarked on a green honeymoon together.

Ebook reading devices are greener than the greenest green hard copy books, and with Amazon’s Kindle and the Sony Reader delivering a product with a reading screen that many book lovers claim is less strenuous on the eyes than paper, this is an environmental marriage made in heaven.

Avid readers can now carry around over 200 books in their purse or briefcase on a device that is slimmer and lighter than a standard-size trade paperback. And if 200 books isn’t enough, a tiny memory card "chip" slips into the kindle for even more storage.

A Kindle owner has access to over 90,000 books already "virtually stocked" in the Kindle Media Center of the Amazon website. (Audio books are also available at Amazon through audible.com, and easily downloadable.)

Ebooks are not for everyone, however. Many people have no desire to deal with new-fangled technology. "A book should be printed on paper without ever having to be charged!" (What is this world coming to?)

Green Eggs and Books

The market for children’s books will never disappear as long as we humans keep producing more children. Children who are avid readers are always asking for yet another book and friends and family love to give books to children as presents.

Any teacher or parent knows that kids give their books a good workout. Few books that are beloved by children avoid food stains and beverage spills or corners chewed off by the family pet (or teething sibling).

Today’s electronic reading devices require tender loving care that few if any children are equipped to provide. That doesn’t mean that inventors are not already working on indestructible models. However, we can safely say that children’s paper book are still going to be around for a long time.

Green Profit Margins – Reality vs. Illusion

Let’s get real about the cost of producing green hard copy books in the US. The media is flooded with articles about large chain bookstore complaints that they can no longer compete with Target/Walmart/Costco Made in China low production costs.

Mom and Pop corner bookstores are often forced out of business when a Barnes & Noble or Borders came to town. Now, David and Goliath both find themselves pitted against the "Great Walmart" of China-made goods.

Green books or green turkeys?

Can we find a green solution for Made in China books, or will customers be willing to pay more for green books printed in the US?

It takes a great deal of "go green" dedication and deep pockets for customers to pay double or triple the amount for the same book they can buy at Costco’s, when they know that book may end up lying outside in the rain because Dick or Jane forgot to bring it inside in time and the babysitter was feeding Sally.

For more information about new publishing and the changing book industry, check out Write to Publish for Profit.

caroladler@buzzle.com