Would You Buy a Book in a Cigarette Pack?

While authors and the publishing world are trying to come to grips with the whole e-book revolution, it turns out that new and innovative ways to sell print books are still being developed.


Take this, for instance--books sold in cigarette packs. You'll notice the choices are limited to the old classics. I don't think they're selling Dan Brown or Mitch Albom in cigarette packs yet. Nor are they likely to be, either.

It's a cute idea, the whole notion of having Franz Kafka or Ernest Hemingway tucked away in your pocket. (Though I'm still trying to picture squeezing Tolstoy into such a tiny space. I see WAR AND PEACE didn't make the cut. I guess not. Could you imagine the print? You'd probably need a microscope to read it.)

Having said that and knowing that you can find classic authors in the Kindle Store and buy numerous copies of their work for a buck a piece, the author-in-your-pocket idea seems like a cute gimmick. But that's it.