Usually "I can't put this book down" is just a figure of speech. But an Argentinian publishing house is trying to make it more literal: they've created a book whose words disappear two months after it's first opened, so that people will actually read it soon after they take it home.
According to the publishing company, Eterna Cadencia, the concept is intended to promote the work of first-time authors who may not get the chance to publish a second book if no one reads their first one. Eterna Cadencia recently released 'El Libro Que No Puede Esperar' ('The Book That Can't Wait'), an anthology of work by new Latin American authors printed with the disappearing ink, which starts to fade when it comes into contact with light and air. The book comes sealed in plastic - once it's removed, the fading begins.
In the video below, Eternia Cadencia says they gave away the entire first printing of the book, and have already received thousands of requests for more copies of it. No word from the company on what happens to the books once the ink has faded and the pages are bare - but maybe the technology will lead to even more new authors, as readers use the book with newly blank pages to set down their own stories.
Check out the promotional video about the book, created by advertising agency Draftfcb, below:
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