Starbucks, the world’s largest multinational chain of coffee shops, will begin offering books for sale alongside its beverages starting this fall.
The company announced this week plans to periodically add books to its retail merchandise at more than 5,400 locations throughout the United States. The program will launch with Mitch Albom’s newest novel, “For One More Day.” Hyperion Books will publish the book on Sept. 26, and it will appear in Starbucks a week after it becomes available in traditional retail stores. The book will be on sale at Starbucks locations from Oct. 3 until the second week of November.
Starbucks Entertainment announced that Albom, the author of the best-selling memoir “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” will also do readings at Starbucks in eight cities. The promotional push will also include “a customer-led book discussion group created to encourage communities coming together to read and engage in meaningful discussion about books” in 25 of its major market stores, the company said.
“Today’s announcement reflects our new and ongoing commitment to offering our customers the unique opportunity to discover books as part of their daily coffee routines,” said Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks Entertainment in a statement. “Mitch Albom’s new book is only the beginning of many exciting literary projects we will offer to our customers in the future as we look to transform the way our customers discover and acquire quality books.”
“For One More Day” will be the only book that Starbucks will offer customers during the upcoming promotion. According to Starbucks representatives, the company will continue its conversations with a variety of authors and publishers -- both established and emerging -- as it looks for additional books to offer customers.
Besides food and beverages, the Seattle-based retailer also has sold music CDs, and it even delved into producing a feature film, “Akeelah and the Bee” earlier this year.