Monday, June 15, 2009

Aahhh—The Smell of a New Book

“Nothing awakens a reminiscence like an odour.” - Victor Hugo

Just when I think I’ve heard everything, such as the blog I wrote about a horror book written on toilet paper, something else comes along. This time it’s Smell of Books™. This is an aerosol spray to make your e-book smell like a real book. I guess it has been tested because there is a list of compatible e-reading devices and formats.

Smell of Books™ comes in New Book Smell, Scents of Sensibility, Classic Musty, Crunchy Bacon and Eau You Have Cats. Visit their site for descriptions of the scents and warnings. It’s a fun read. For instance, the Crunchy Bacon scent is not recommended for Vegans. None of the scents are to be used on real books or on burning books.

New Book Smell is $28.99 per can, though other scents are cheaper. I might consider purchasing a can at any cost if they come out with a “Guaranteed Best Seller” scent that can be used on paper as well as e-books. How great to have crowds drawn to a display of The Ride by the tempting book cover and then watch as the irresistible aroma entices them to immediately carry it up to the checkout desk.

Personally, it’s not the scent—it’s reading a book on a screen that keeps me from buying e-books. I spend too much time in front of a computer as it is.

Is the ‘new book smell’ something you miss with your e-readers? Would you be tempted by any of the scents? Do you have suggestions for other book flavors?

One last thing, in an effort to finish the editing on my current manuscript and start a new project or two, I am going to reduce my posts from three days a week to two (at least for the summer). I’ll post new blogs on Mondays and Thursdays.

Thanks for stopping by.

Tags: Smell of Books, The Ride, e-books, e-readers, Victor Hugo,

13 comments:

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Jane, I feel the same way - I stare at my computer all day, so why on earth would I want to stare at yet another screen to read a book?

Think I will avoid the Crunchy Bacon!

L. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

Oh, too funny! I don't have an e-reader for the same reason you don't (stuck in front of a computer for too long.)

I was in an older house this weekend and walked in...and smelled old hardback books. It was wonderful! So I've had book smells on the brain lately...

Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder

Alexis Grant said...

This is hilarious. Who came up with it?!! Good luck with your manuscript... Know that I'll be plugging away on mine at the same time.

Helen Ginger said...

I'm wondering how good the spray can be for your e-reader if you're not supposed to spray it on paper? Won't your screen get gunky?

Helen
Straight From Hel

Marvin D Wilson said...

You have got. To be. Kidding me. Well, I guess if you live long enough you'll see just about everything. Now if they'd only come up with a new car smell in a bottle I'd buy it for my '96 Honda. LOL

The Old Silly From Free Spirit Blog

joe doaks-Author said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
joe doaks-Author said...

As usual, I’m the odd ball. I’m looking forward to buying a Kindle—or at least trying one. They say the screen and typeface look and read like real paper. Plus, I’ll love the portability aspect, and the bookmarking, and the search feature. (not crazy about the price, though.) Hey, I guess I’m just a screen tolerant guy.

Jane, I’ll miss your more frequent posting. Be sure to Tweet a couple of times per day when you do post…Okay?

Best Regards, Galen
GalenKindley.com

John A. Allen said...

Okay, I gotta say, I LOVE my Sony Reader. First, I think there's a misconception: Reading it is nothing like reading a computer screen. It's not backlit, so there's no eyestrain (it can be read in direct sunlight, unlike any computer monitor or LCD screen). I can change the size of the text if it's too small or large, further reducing eye strain. But like I said, there's no backlight, so it looks just like paper (maybe a shade or two darker). Imagine looking at a piece of paper where the text just magically changes. That's what it's like.

Okay, enough about my love affair with it. Did I mention that I can take several books with me at once? Actually, several hundred, but I digress.

Okay, okay. About the book smell: I do love the smell of a new book (and a new car). But that new book smell needs to accompany the feel of a book in my hands, the tactile feel of the pages. If I'm craving the new-book smell, I'll buy a new book. I'm not anti-book at all. I do buy new books ("The Ride" being my newest purchase!).

But I don't want my mp3 player smelling like anything, so why would I want my Reader to smell like anything?

Jane Kennedy Sutton said...

Alexis, the company is DuroSports Electronics. I should have had that in my blog.

Ginger, The warning page doesn’t mention stickiness so I’m assuming that’s not a problem. Maybe it has something in it that dissolves paper but not metals or plastics.

Thanks, Karen. Marvin, I like the New Car Smell idea. And Galen, which flavor are you going to spray your Kindle with?

John, I have to admit, I never tried an e-reader, but you make them sound tempting. I’ll have to check one out next time I’m in an electronics store. I have so learned to never say never about anything. And thanks for buying the book. I hope you enjoy it.

Nancy J. Parra said...

OMG- this is funny! but I do find I love to go into books stores and enjoy the smell of new books.

Good luck with your new project. Cheers!

Bob Sanchez said...

Hi Jane,
I read my wife the part of your blog post about the aerosol for e-books, and she said "Huh?" which sums up my own reaction. I love books in e-version as well as paper, and am neutral to the smell. At the price of that spray, I'd rather skip it. Then if I miss the smell of books while I'm using my Kindle, I'll just walk over and sniff my book shelf.

Bob Sanchez
http://bobsanchez1.blogspot.com

Patricia Stoltey said...

Makes me think of evergreen smell in a can for artificial Christmas trees.

Nah. Just give me real books, old or new. I love books.

Connie Arnold said...

How funny! What will they think of next? I actually prefer my books not to smell!

Jane's Ride - Novelist Jane Kennedy Sutton's journey through the ups and downs of the writing, publishing and marketing world