Sprout to Install Systems in Leading Independent Bookstores

Business Wire, May 30, 2000

Business Editors

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2000

Fifteen members of the Independent Booksellers Consortium (IBC) entered into an agreement with print-on-demand company Sprout, Inc. As part of the agreement, bookstores will install Sprout equipment in their stores and promote the use of print-on-demand to gain valuable information about consumer interest in this technology.

According to Lori Tucker-Sullivan, Executive Director of IBC, "The members of IBC that are participating in this test program with Sprout are excited by the potential it offers. We are pleased to be a part of the advancement of this technology and feel it is extremely important to ensure that the development of digitized books and printing-on-demand includes the independent bookseller. We look forward to building a long relationship with Sprout as they continue to advance printing on demand."

Stores participating in this program include Atticus, Bibelot, Bookshop Santa Cruz, Boulder Books, Harvard Bookstore, Kepler's, Northshire Bookstore, Page One Books, Powell's, Prairie Lights, Harry W. Schartz Bookshops, Shaman Drum, University Bookstore (Seattle), University of Wisconsin Bookstore and Vroman's Bookstore. These stores represent a variety of markets, including general trade, university, professional and technical bookstores.

According to Ed Morrow of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vermont, the advancement of digitized files and their accessibility to everyone is important enough that bookstores must be involved now. Morrow says, "The sooner bookstores support this new technology, the faster it will pay off for all of us. Sprout is a firm believer in open access to this information and our test program will advance both the information and the technology available."

Pat Brannan, CEO of Sprout, Inc., asserts, "Our expansion into Independents is the next step in making our print-on-demand solution available to every bookseller. Members of the IBC include some of the most skilled booksellers in the country. Their first-hand knowledge of customers and consumer demand is invaluable. By using our system to meet that demand, they will demonstrate the benefits provided by digital distribution and on-site production."

Sprout's system offers booksellers immediate access to thousands of additional titles without increased physical inventory. By instituting this program, Sprout and IBC expect the accumulated feedback from consumers will help direct the development of new technology and influence title acquisition.

About Sprout

Sprout, Inc.,(www.sproutinfo.com) is a digital book wholesaler in Atlanta, GA, servicing publishers and retailers. Sprout stores and distributes books digitally to enable single-copy production of perfect-bound, paperback books in central and in-store facilities. Sprout works with over 80 publishers, including Random House, Time Warner, and Simon & Schuster, and a variety of retailers, such as Borders and Follett.

About IBC

The Independent Booksellers Consortium is a group of independent bookstores that have come together to act as a buying and information-sharing cooperative. Their members meet twice yearly to share ideas and common concerns about bookselling. In addition, members work together on group buying and other projects.