I am quite a gadget fan and love gadget shops. Almost as much as book shops. I also love geeks. I know that the word geeks used to have an unpleasant connotation, and I think I may be a bit of a hipster liking geeks before it because a positive things. But geeks are just fun. Geeks, and please correct me if I am wrong, was negative and for the inept. Now it is more positive, though main, I think for those involved in the work of gaming and computers.
Recently, it seems, however, that geeks have “infiltrated” the world of publishing. Publishers have become hip and although there has always been a following, it tended to be, in my opinion, more of an intellectual following. Now books are hotter than ever. As is merchandising and gadgets related to publishing. Before people wanted to write a book to “achieve” a standing, especially if it was a book about their own life. Biographies are not really in fashion any longer though they are still in the shops (mainly in the discount ones though) and my guess is that these are self-published or by famous people so that the marketing department get to meet them at the book release. Seems I am getting cynical, but very few biographies have done well over the last many years, probably because people can read enough about these people’s lives in the gossip section of newspapers and magazines, or the biography is of a person not particularly interesting to the general public. I think biographies and reality TV came at the same time. Then it became anything related to judges, which is different to transfer to books.
Regardless I see more and more merchandise available for publisher geeks. Not too many websites devoted entirely to publishing, but many subsections. Tshirts are manifold, many of which are humorous to my delight, but today I came across a beautiful pendant. See below. 398.2 is the fairytale section according to the Dewey Decimal System. Sweet eh? And definitely for geeks 😀 We are in the process of finishing our shop, and I am wondering if we should have publishing merchandise as well. What do you think? Any suggestions?
