Borders U.K. targets bookish singles

Quillblogger, with dark hair, eyes, age indeterminate, possessed of a vaguely Byronesque temperament, likes Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Flannery O’Connor, and long walks on the beach. Dislikes Dan Brown novels and anything Twilight-related. Enquiries welcome. Photo preferred.

Don’t laugh: Borders U.K. is hoping that lovelorn literary singles will gravitate to its site to connect with other like-minded readers for some off-the-page encounters. The Bookseller is reporting that Borders’ new online dating service, optimistically dubbed “Happily Ever After,” will successfully match “people who share similar interests and hobbies.” And, not incidentally, sell a ton of product:

Visitors to the Borders website can sign up to the new service over the next few weeks for £1 per month. After that period the subscription will be £9.99 per month. The site also showcases a wide range of books for all the latest advice on dating.

Profiting off of others’ unhappiness is obviously nothing new – it’s the raison d’être of the self-help publishing industry – but this seems a bit over-the-top nonetheless. Not that this is the first time anyone has tried to marry dating services and bookselling: Penguin U.K. did something similar last year, in conjunction with the dating web site Match.com.

One Response to “Borders U.K. targets bookish singles”

1. June 29, 2009 | 12:00 pm Walter says:
   

   It’s great that bookstores have finally found a way of getting more people in them – and to stay. I hate it when people say that books are finished because of the web.

   Also, related, one of the most interesting new dating concepts I’ve seen is something called Toyboywarehouse.com. It might sound sleezey, but it’s not –quite up market, really. It’s for men who like older women and allowing older women to find them. Kinda cool that someone thought of it.