Amazon Australia last week launched its own on-demand paperback printing facility in Australia, buoying its presence in the growing book market in Australia.

Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic Australians have increasingly turned to books for entertainment, fostering strong results in book retailers such as Booktopia and Dymocks.

And now, with ‘Print on Demand’ service operating out of its Western Sydney DC, Amazon hopes to speed up deliveries to customers as well as cut out the need for storing surplus books – creating an environment that helps independent authors and publishers reach more readers while saving on storage fees.

“We are continuously growing the delivery experience for Australian customers and our new Print on Demand facility means that we will be able to get millions of paperback titles to customers faster than ever before,” said Amazon Australia’s category lead for media and books Matt Benham.

“We are also excited about the benefits [this] brings to the thousands of Australian self-published authors who have been keenly waiting for the launch of an Australian facility.”

The print on demand service is the latest in a string of improvements to Amazon’s Australian business, having recently launched its Amazon Hub parcel pick up network in Perth and expanding its operations across New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

This expansion of its pick up network comes after the surge of Australians having tried online shopping for the first time during the Covid-19 crisis, with the network now available at more than 750 locations across the country.