News

Splish, Splash, Take A Book to the Bath
Paul Hilts -- 10/23/00
Liven up Saturday night with this better idea from packager Charles Melcher


The display that launched
40,000 book sales.
The message was unmistakable. There, in the middle of the Crown booth at BEA was a book in a fish tank full of water--and apparently completely unaffected by it. The book was Aqua Erotica, published by Crown's Three Rivers Press and edited by Mary Anne Mohanraj, an anthology of "18 stories for a steamy bath," each with water as a leitmotif.
For all their durability in standard use, books still have one archenemy: water. Just getting caught in the rain can ruin the best-printed book on the best-quality paper. So the BEA display was intriguing. So much so that independent bookstores began calling Three Rivers, asking for fish tanks of their own.

Brian Belfiglio, director of publicity for Crown, told PW, "We sent 200 plastic fish tanks to bookstores across the country for display in their windows. In addition, stores like Posman Books in Grand Central Station in New York City are making their own displays."

And, though the early orders had been steady, it was the reorders that took off. As both booksellers and their customers saw the display, the first printing of 40,000 copies suddenly began to disappear; Three Rivers went back to press this month for an additional 25,000 copies.

Tree-free Paper, Special Glue
Aqua Erotica is made possible by a special binding process called DuraBook, on which Charles Melcher, head of book packager Melcher Media, has a patent pending.

Though a DuraBook looks the same as any standard paperback, both the paper and the binding are unique. The paper contains no wood pulp nor cotton fiber. Instead, it consists of plastic extruded and stretched into fibers, with plastic resins and inorganic fillers added to create a smooth surface. This smooth surface, treated with special chemicals, will take ink beautifully, as the inorganic fibers won't soak up ink, blurring the image--letter shapes and photographic detail remain sharp and clear. And the paper gains immense strength. Nautical charts made of the stuff are virtually indestructible.

But the slick pages of the plastic won't grasp standard binding glue. So Melcher worked with bindery specialists and chemists to develop his secret-formula glue that would bond chemcially to the plastic pages. The result is a high-quality book that meets or exceeds offset printing at 175-line screens, and can accept stamping, embossing and laminating..

Don't the special paper and binding make the cost prohibitive?

"It's not that bad," Melcher replied. "Altogether, Aqua Erotica, which lists at $14.95, the same as any trade paperback, costs about 25% more to produce than a trade paperback on good paper with some graphics. But with the numbers that Aqua Erotica is doing, we'll all make out pretty well."
Soapdish Editions really
can survive in the tub.
The second use of the DuraBook process is debuting this month from Chronicle Books. Soapdish Editions is a collection of six titles that look like perfect impulse-buys or small gifts. Each book measures 35/8"×21/4" and sells for $7.95.
The titles include Soothing Soaks: Relaxation in the Bath, with descriptions of stress-reducing theme baths, and accoutrements such as special sponges; Splish Splash: Recipes for the Bath, telling how to make different soaps and body lotions; Rub a Dub Dub: Baby in the Tub, giving helpful hints for a baby's first bath; Makin' Waves: Fun for Kids in the Tub, with simple games for young bathers; Hot & Steamy: Erotic Baths, telling how to plan a special bath for two; and Clean and Serene: Meditations for the Bath.


For booksellers who don't want water near their other books, Chronicle's Soapdish display replaces the water with acrylic plastic that suggests playful splashes.

Coming in spring 2001 from Chronicle is The Amazing Book of Paper Boats, a collection of 18 cut-out-and-fold boats made of the waterproof paper, so they float! Among the ships kids can fold for themselves are a tugboat, models of the Titanic and the Monitor, and even two sailboats that can race each other.

"We're reaching the stage where other publishers are thinking up their own uses for waterproof books," Melcher reports. "National Geographic's The American Road atlas and trip planner is done as a DuraBook. The editors say the cover photos look the best they've ever seen because of the special paper, and the maps won't tear. We also are in negotiations for naturalists' field guides and several children's books."