Startup of the week: Bookish

With the rise of new technologies and new forms of entertainment, such as video games, television series, movies or Netflix, more traditional ways of being entertained, such as reading, have been somewhat forgotten. People tend to prefer to watch the episode of a new series, rather than devour the latest literary news. In view of these events, new initiatives are emerging that seek to promote reading and not leave it behind. One of them is Bookish, the startup that offers the first literary box subscription in Spain with the objective of recovering a space for literature within entertainment. Spain is one of the European countries that reads the least, according to data from the Reading Habits Barometer prepared by the Federation of the Publishers Guild, which determined that 32.8% of Spaniards never read books. Despite this data, the creators of Bookish decided to enter the world of books since there are a lot of people who like to read, so they decided to create an initiative in the form of a subscription box. Bookish works like subscription boxes already established in other sectors, such as t-shirts or Japanese candies. The customer pays a certain amount of money each month and at the beginning of the month receives a package with the content. The most attractive thing about this process is that you never know what is going to happen to you, so until you open the box there is always that surprise effect that attracts so many people. In the case of Bookish, the box is personalized to the person who receives it and inside it has a book with literary quality but that at the same time is entertaining. The box also contains a reading guide or map with information about the book and the author, a postcard with exclusive illustrations and a related gift, all for a price of 21.95€ with shipping costs included. In order to offer a unique reading experience, Bookish works with first-line publishers such as Alfaguara, Anagrama, Salamandra and many others. They always select new items that are less than two months old in bookstores and even, in some cases, early editions. In addition, the startup is committed to returning the money if you already have that book at home, although they say that it doesn't usually happen. In order to fall in love again with reading, they complement the book with products that improve that experience. One of them is the experience map. Each book is accompanied by a two-sided map: one that must be read before the book and another that must be saved for the end. It's about going far beyond a typical back cover and knowing the context and vital anecdotes of the author to understand how the book in your hands was born. In addition to this, the map is always accompanied by a unique product that makes the immersion in the book even greater, from an artprint handmade by an artist or to a tea chosen especially for that particular book. The creators of Bookish, said that their greatest satisfaction is knowing that many of their subscribers have become hooked on the readout, because for them, getting people to enjoy reading again is very rewarding. So if you want to believe in literature again as before, or simply want new literary works to read, Bookish is the perfect solution to get excited.