AUTOMATIC BOOK VENDING MACHINES ARE NOTHING NEW, BUT THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THESE FIRST TWO HAVING BEEN INSTALLED IN SINGAPORE LIES IN THE MOTIVATION BEHIND THE PROJECT.
Initiated by BooksActually, an independent bookstore that seems to be growing more and more into a small social institution by the day, the idea behind the project was inspired by Penguincubator, an automatic paperback vending machine initiated by Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin, back in 1937. The main objective, however, is driven not by commercial purposes, but rather by a hope to promote the works of Singaporean writers amongst the general public. The machines are installed in spaces of enthusiastic artistic context such as Singapore National Museum and the Singapore Visitor Centre, in an attempt to introduce local literature to a group of potentially interested consumers.
Book Vending Machine at the Goodman Arts Centre, Image © BooksActually
Moreover, installing a vending machine is far less of a hassle than opening a bookshop and, even if sales are not that great, functions as a nice display of products where buyers are, at the very least, informed about books’ titles before an actual purchase is made at the shop. We heard that BooksActually will be rotating three machines (the third one coming soon) between different locations every three months. If you happen to be in Singapore, take a look or buy a book, and let us know how it goes.
Book Vending Machine at National Museum Singapore, Image © BooksActually
TEXT: TUNYAPORN HONGTONG
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