The main obstacle for booksellers is the cost of the machine. Buying it outright could be as much as $150,000, I was told, so a five-year lease option is widely preferred – but even that can run well over $5,000 a month, plus a variety of add-ons for personnel and basic supplies. To overcome that problem, the Brooklyn Public Library and the library in Darien reached an agreement with OnDemand to operate the machines directly, which greatly simplifies their launch of the project. At Northshire, Morrow said, the Espresso has earned the store considerable cachet in the community. “We’ve created a whole self-publishing business,” he said, “that has changed the perception of what our store can do.” In the intensely competitive environment of the digital era, with so much attention focused on e-books and online ordering, Morrow and other booksellers seem energized by their ability to produce books with customers so engaged in the manufacturing process. “Espresso definitely is part of our future,” said Morrow, whose parents were the original owners of the store.