Are printed books the next must have home accessory? I think they could be, here's why and how...
I liked this article which appeared in the Daily Telegraph on line so much so that I left a comment on the site.
Displaying books: more than just a good read: "Books really do help furnish a room - and the more of them the merrier, says Nicole Swengley." You can't do this with an e book, eh! Not that I am against e books, certainly not. I don't mind how people read just as long as they do read (and enjoy it). But are printed books going to be the next must have home accessory?
I must admit to having books in almost every room in the house. OK so they're not in the bathroom or the hall, although they were in the latter until we re-decorated. And I know that many people take a book into the bath to read. Some readers have told me this is where they do their best reading, and ask if my books are bath proof. Some have even dropped them accidentally in bath water, and I've been told they have dried out nicely.
I have been into houses where there are absolutely no books and they feel very bland, very cold. To me a house without books is not a home. Bring on the books decor I say. Maybe bookshops can reposition themselves as interior design or home ware shops. Or perhaps B & Q, IKEA and their ilk will start selling all types of books as the latest in home ware, and not just how to fix the plumbing or put up a shelf.
So here are my suggestions on how to sell fiction in home ware and interior design stores; head buyers and bosses take note:
Romantic and romance novels, along with bonkbusters and erotic fiction can go with the beds and bedroom furniture. (OK, so it's a bit traditionalist but you could always rotate these novels with the other departments if particularly adventurous.) Historical sagas and Aga sagas can go with the country style kitchen displays, while sci fi and fantasy novels, and even horror can be displayed with the high-tech, latest state-of the art type kitchens. Crime fiction and thrillers would also fit nicely with kitchens or kitchen implements, not to mention the gardening and DIY section - plenty of likely lethal weapons there. They'd also do well in bathrooms, think medicine cabinets and toilet cleaners. Cozy mysteries could snuggle up in the living room furniture department along with Westerns particularly around the fireplace displays (does anyone read westerns these days? I used to love them especially Zane Grey). And classics could go in the dining room. Children’s fiction is of course in the kiddies’ bedroom furniture department and adventure novels would do nicely in the gardening department and possibly the hall.
Now all I need to do is convince the stores that this is a wizard idea for selling more household goods and furniture, not to mention selling more books. Think it will work?
Displaying books: more than just a good read: "Books really do help furnish a room - and the more of them the merrier, says Nicole Swengley." You can't do this with an e book, eh! Not that I am against e books, certainly not. I don't mind how people read just as long as they do read (and enjoy it). But are printed books going to be the next must have home accessory?
I must admit to having books in almost every room in the house. OK so they're not in the bathroom or the hall, although they were in the latter until we re-decorated. And I know that many people take a book into the bath to read. Some readers have told me this is where they do their best reading, and ask if my books are bath proof. Some have even dropped them accidentally in bath water, and I've been told they have dried out nicely.
I have been into houses where there are absolutely no books and they feel very bland, very cold. To me a house without books is not a home. Bring on the books decor I say. Maybe bookshops can reposition themselves as interior design or home ware shops. Or perhaps B & Q, IKEA and their ilk will start selling all types of books as the latest in home ware, and not just how to fix the plumbing or put up a shelf.
So here are my suggestions on how to sell fiction in home ware and interior design stores; head buyers and bosses take note:
Romantic and romance novels, along with bonkbusters and erotic fiction can go with the beds and bedroom furniture. (OK, so it's a bit traditionalist but you could always rotate these novels with the other departments if particularly adventurous.) Historical sagas and Aga sagas can go with the country style kitchen displays, while sci fi and fantasy novels, and even horror can be displayed with the high-tech, latest state-of the art type kitchens. Crime fiction and thrillers would also fit nicely with kitchens or kitchen implements, not to mention the gardening and DIY section - plenty of likely lethal weapons there. They'd also do well in bathrooms, think medicine cabinets and toilet cleaners. Cozy mysteries could snuggle up in the living room furniture department along with Westerns particularly around the fireplace displays (does anyone read westerns these days? I used to love them especially Zane Grey). And classics could go in the dining room. Children’s fiction is of course in the kiddies’ bedroom furniture department and adventure novels would do nicely in the gardening department and possibly the hall.
Now all I need to do is convince the stores that this is a wizard idea for selling more household goods and furniture, not to mention selling more books. Think it will work?
Comments
LONG LIVE THE REAL BOOK!
Gordon.
www.estudiocapana.com and www.gordon-maddock.com/estudiocampana