VOL.77/2024.12

 

The Art of Selling Books:
Innovative Strategies by Korean Booksellers

 

2024.11.04

 

You will be able to find the figures for “reading preferences” in the results of the National Reading Survey conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in Korea last year. It gives a hint to the “actual” reading population based on the ratio of people liking books. The overall reading rate covering paper books, e-books, and audio books was 95.8% for elementary, middle, and high school students and 43.0% for adults; the actual reading preferences turned out to be 39.6% for students and 18.3% for adults. The actual reading rate, which means readings done autonomously, is cut in half from the overall reading rate as the overall figure includes cases in which people have to read books for necessary reasons, such as for work or educational purposes. Why do people read books, but have very few “enjoyable” experiences reading them? Well, considering the research result announced last year that says 6 out of 10 Korean adults read not even a single book a year, we probably should be thankful that people read at all.
Then, what should you do first to “experience a book”? It would be either buying or borrowing one. Meeting a book is the beginning of experiencing a book. Reading comes after that. So, all bookstores in Korea - big and small - are making various attempts to increase sales and to boost reading experiences. They are trying to help people start their book experience in a fun, enjoyable way to later become a reader who “likes” reading books.

 

People buy books not knowing what they are about

 

What is the first thing that catches your eye when choosing a book? For many, it would be the book’s cover, title, or author’s name. But, did you know that recently, more Korean readers have been buying books without even knowing what they are about? This phenomenon is referred to as purchasing “blind books.” This newly-coined term, “blind book,” refers to books introduced or bought without any information about their covers, titles, authors, and content. So, readers get to meet books without any knowledge of them. Bookstores’ packaging and introducing books in their own unique way is the biggest characteristic of blind books. Sometimes, they quote key sentences from the book or share some keywords related to it. Readers choose books based on keywords of interest to them or their taste in book packaging without bias. The trust in the curation of the bookstore manager also plays a significant role, meaning that blind books rely on faith in the bookstore manager and coincidence. The types of blind books are evolving as they attract more attention from readers. For example, blind books are being distributed under specific themes or concepts, such as “birthday books” - books by authors with the same birthday as you, “MBTI books” - books about your personality, “constellation books,” and “seasonal books.”
Nowadays, publishers and libraries are increasingly offering books in the form of blind books. For example, at the 2024 Seoul International Book Fair (SIBF), many publishers’ booths curated and introduced books in the form of blind books, and a library in Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, recommends books based on the MBTI personalities. In addition, libraries in many cities, including Incheon, Goyang, Yangpyeong, Chuncheon, Cheongju, and Osong, are operating blind book lending services or exhibiting them.

 

A book written by a writer whose birthday is the same as you

 

The most popular type of blind book is, by far, “birthday books.” As mentioned earlier, birthday books are books written by authors who were born on the same day as your birthday. First introduced in Korea around 2017, birthday books are currently available in various bookstores across the country. In 2018, IGMU (읽을마음), a bookstore specializing in birthday books, opened in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Its founder realized that he wanted to run his own bookstore as he worked as a marketer for a publishing company and was in charge of a directly managed bookstore in Hapjeong, Seoul. It was around 2015 that the story of “Birthday Bunko” by Marunouchi Reading Style, a large Japanese bookstore, began to be known in Korea. He thought it would be great to have a birthday bookstore in Korea, too, and he started collecting authors’ birthdays in his spare time while working.
IGMU first participated in the 2022 SIBF and sold over 1,500 books in a single booth. At the 2023 SIBF, it sold over 2,700 books in two booths, and at the 2024 SIBF, where it participated in a joint pavilion with a reduced booth size, it sold over 1,500 books. As of 2024, IGMU has collected 3,644 birthday books by compiling the birthdays of 2,664 authors. One reader looking for a birthday book said, “It’s perfect for when you want to give a book gift but don’t know what kind of book to buy,” while a publisher said, “It’s fun! You get curious about the author,” and purchased several birthday books. Currently, you can also find birthday books in other local bookstores in Korea, including Bookshop Lisbon and Librairie de Nuit in Seoul, Joochaekgongsa in Busan, Sasohan Books in Daegu, and 365 Books in Yongin, as well as at the large chain bookstore Youngpoong Bookstore.

 

 

It is only available in our bookstore!

 

There’s a saying that goes, “Don’t be number one, be the only one.” Here, “only one” refers to something “special” that has no competition or is incomparable, not something that is number one. The publishing industry also has been trying to think of “special” books. One such special book born in 2017 is the “local bookstore edition.” For example, No Longer Human and A Journey to Mujin by Minumsa Publishing under the Ssonsal Mungo series, which were distributed only in local bookstores with new covers, sold 4,000 copies each. The Munhakdongne Publishing first introduced the 2010-2017 Winners of the Munhakdongne Young Author Award as a best-of collection for local bookstores in 2018, and has since been publishing local bookstore editions of short story collections selected by local bookstore owners. Since then, books have been published under the name of local bookstore editions by various publishers. Some books are actually distributed only in local bookstores, and some are published with a different cover from the large bookstore edition.
At first, some readers would buy two copies of the same book so that they could have a collection of their favorite authors, and local bookstore owners were happy to see new readers coming to their stores. It was also good for publishers because they could sell 2,000 copies by just distributing 10 copies in about 200 bookstores. However, as the number and frequency of releases increased, fatigue set in, and the negative perception that it was nothing more than an advertising tool with a new cover began to grow. Local bookstores were also worried. The number of new readers hasn’t increased as much as in the early days. The biggest burden was that many local bookstores sold the same books around the same time, resulting in a lack of differentiation. Readers who mostly visit local bookstores say, “There is less difference in curation between bookstores, making them no different from large bookstores,” or “It’s quite scary to see the same book posted on every bookstore’s Instagram.”
As book sales declined around the same time, bookstores sought to differentiate their curation and create their own content to attract readers to their stores. Several local bookstores started collaborating with publishers to make editions with exclusive covers sold in their bookstores only. The idea was to draw in new readers and retain existing ones. One of the most proactive bookstores was Bookplant. It has created more than 40 exclusive covers since 2020 to send to its book club readers. For Bookplant, which regularly publishes exclusive editions, it also means discovering not only new titles but also books from small and medium-sized publishers and good books that have been swept aside by new releases. In the summer and winter of 2023, Bookplant collaborated with independent bookstores Chaegbang Yeonhui and A Dokbang to produce the Ayeonsilsaek (아연실색) Edition of Albert Camus’s Noces suivi de L’Été and Georges Perec’s L’infra-ordinaire, and the 500 copies of the limited edition were sold out within two weeks. Recently, the Ayeonsilsaek Edition added Yoko Sano’s essay as its third book in the series. Large bookstores also often offer exclusive editions. For example, last summer, Kyobo Book Centre released Noces suivi de L’Été with a new cover in collaboration with publisher Green Flash Press, and sold out of its 2,000 copies in two months. Similarly, Yes 24 released a re-covered edition of Francoise Sagan’s La Chamade from the same publisher, selling 1,000 copies in fall 2023 and 1,000 copies in summer 2024.

 

 

For publishers, it’s an opportunity to reach new readers and diversify their publishing creations. “Sometimes it’s frustrating when you have to settle on a single cover for a book. It’s because while the cover is supposed to symbolize the tone of the book and appeal to readers, there are some books that evoke multiple images. So, it’s nice to have the opportunity to try things on the re-covers that you couldn’t do on the first design, while also incorporating the bookstore’s unique identity into it,” says the head of Green Flash Press. For bookstores, the benefit of collaboration is that it allows them to offer differentiated content to readers. The reason why I, the founder of independent bookstore Chaegbang Yeonhui, decided to launch a bookstore-exclusive edition was because I wanted to “share my favorite authors with the customers of my bookstore.” All of these efforts seem to be aimed at reaching new readers and staying connected with existing ones.

 

The author’s autograph increases the book’s collectible value!

 

Producing an exclusive cover edition would probably be one of the dreams of any local bookstore owner. However, it’s usually not feasible for a local bookstore to produce 500 to 1,000 copies, due to production costs and distribution issues. That’s why a new type of book has emerged to replace it - the author’s autographed edition. While people are getting more opportunities to meet their favorite authors with the rise in cultural activities at local bookstores, many are concentrated in Seoul and don’t have time to take a break from their busy lives. Though they say readers are connected to authors through books, having a book autographed by the author increases its value. It also feels like the book is read more carefully. This is why readers go to local bookstores to buy signed copies of their favorite authors.
So, some bookstores have started to sell only autographed copies, and many publishers actively distribute autographed copies to local bookstores when a new book is released. In turn, local bookstores aggressively promote and distribute autographed copies. Some publishing companies even start distributing autographed copies to local bookstores or pre-selling them before the publication date. Among the most active publishers is Munhakdongne Publishing, which focuses on Korean literature. An official from Munhakdongne Publishing said, “We have seen good results in terms of promoting new titles and getting them in stock, as it is in line with the needs of local bookstores to differentiate themselves from large online and offline bookstores.” Munhakdongne Publishing’s Siinseon (시인선; meaning ‘poetry collection’) and Nanda Is Art Publishing’s Siuijeokjeol (시의적절; meaning ‘timely’ by its original term, but used as a linguistic play to mean ‘the right (적절) poems (시)’) series, among others, have been constantly organizing events for every new release to build relationships with local bookstores and their readers.

 

 

Some are worried that the above phenomena may lead to books becoming a kind of “merchandise.” The concern is that books are being marketed and distributed without consideration for readers’ tastes, preferences, needs, or reading capabilities. However, readers say, “I go to bookstores because I want to have an experience that I can’t have online.” They also add, “It is better if the books are pretty and fun, too.” The same goes for bookstore owners, as they say, “A famous writer once said, books you read are from those you buy. You have to buy the book before you can read it.” That’s true. It is important to make people experience books. Only then will they find the book or a bookstore repeatedly. More frequent experiences will add depth as well. They will also gain an eye for good books. Furthermore, why shouldn’t selling and buying books be done like a playful activity? You never know where a literary experience that starts out as a playful activity will reach.

 

 

---

Written by Gu Sun-A (Writer and head of Chaegbang Yeonhui)