I never ceased to be amazed by the unique marketing tools that are used to motivate people to read, but this one makes me scratch my head just a little bit.
Argentinian publisher Eterna Cadencia has released El Libro que No Puede Esperar (The Book That Can’t Wait), an anthology with stories written by new Latin America authors, and I think it’s the first book that’s ever been published with an expiration date. The book is written in disappearing ink. It comes in a sealed package and the ink starts to age (and fade) as soon it comes into contact with light and air. Basically, once you open the book, you have two months to read it.
The idea behind the concept is get people to read, instead of just letting the book sit in the TBR pile. I understand the philosophy behind the ‘book that can’t wait’ idea but it seems too gimmicky to catch on. A person could just leave the book sealed up and it would supposedly be fine until you finally get around to reading it. Two months after you finish reading it, you’ll have a nifty journal that you can write in because the pages will be blank.
Actually, I don’t know if it would be a good idea to use this book as a journal or not because there’s no mention of it in the GalleyCat article but that could be at least one redeeming feature for it. Does anyone really want to buy a book that will fade away after you read it?
Check out the video below to find out more about El Libro que No Puede Esperar. It’s in English so no worries.
