“Into the Magic Shop,” a book from which the album borrowed its motif, topped the sales chart of online bookstore Aladin two years after its initial release. (image: Minumsa Publishing Co.)
SEOUL, Jun. 5 (Korea Bizwire) — With BTS topping the pop charts around the globe, books associated with the Korean boy band are selling out fast.
Members of BTS have been known for their keen interest in literature, which, fans say, is what sets them apart from other K-pop idol stars.
According to the publishing industry, “Into the Magic Shop,” a book from which the album borrowed its motif, topped the sales chart of online bookstore Aladin two years after its initial release.
First published in July of 2016, sales of the translated book surged after BTS released a trailer, inspired by the novel, at a music awards show at the end of last year.
Sales of the book increased by 510 times from the week before the trailer aired.
More recently, when BTS topped the Billboard 200 Chart, 300 to 400 copies of the book were sold each day after fans found out that it had inspired BTS’ “Love Yourself: Tear” album.
Experts say that this phenomenon differs from the “media sellers” that gain popularity after being introduced in the media or made into films.
The publishing house that released the Korean version of “Into the Magic Shop” stated that the popularity of the novel was due to the many fans of BTS who take up books associated with the band.
In 2016, BTS sourced ideas from Hermann Hesse’s novel “Demian” for their second album, “Wings.” And last year, a music video from BTS’ “You Never Walk Alone” album was known to have borrowed concepts from “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” a sci-fi novel by Ursula K Le Guin.
Fans immediately sought out the book and analyzed its link to the symbolism featured in the music video before posting their thoughts on social media sites.
As BTS has an international fan base, these books are gaining attention overseas as well.
James R. Doty, the author of “Into the Magic Shop,” thanked BTS for “using my book as inspiration” in a Twitter message to BTS on the day the boy band won the top social artist award at the Billboard Music Awards last month.
Doty’s book is a narrative based on personal experiences that expresses his idea that humans have the capacity to “fundamentally change their lives by first changing their brains and hearts.”
H. S. Seo (hsseo@koreabizwire.com)
