It's Okay Even If the Drama Ends... Because You Can Just Read the 'Daebonjip'

Feeling the lingering emotions of ended dramas by purchasing script books
Reflecting the desire to own dramas... Sales volume also rising every year

ENA drama 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' script book. Photo by 11st

[Asia Economy Culture Intern Reporter Young In] Office worker A has been steadily purchasing 'drama scripts' for several years. Having bought five drama script books so far, A said, "Even after the drama ends, I can recall scenes by looking at the script book," and added, "Reading the script book allows me to feel the emotions I experienced while watching the drama." A also mentioned, "Sometimes the script books include photo cards or handwritten autographs, so it feels more like buying merchandise related to the drama rather than just a book."

Recently, the explosive popularity of the ENA drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo has also driven the success of its script book. The script book sold over 5,000 copies within a day after pre-orders began on the 11th. Fans who want to hold onto the lingering feelings of the drama are increasingly purchasing script books.

◆ You can also check behind-the-scenes and edited parts

The popularity of script books is soaring. The script book for the recently concluded SBS Monday-Tuesday drama Our Beloved Summer ranked on the domestic comprehensive bestseller lists of Yes24 and Kyobo Bookstore. Although it was published in February, cumulative sales exceeded 90,000 copies by the end of July. Reviews from buyers include comments such as "Reading the lines brings the drama scenes to mind, making it immersive," and "I was curious about which script they received and how they expressed it."

The MBC drama The Red Sleeve, which recorded a peak viewership rating of 17.4%, and the tvN drama Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, which ended last October, also appeared on domestic comprehensive bestseller lists with their script books. On the 21st, Kyobo Bookstore announced that Our Blues 1 ranked first in the arts category in the bestseller rankings for the third week of July.

SBS drama 'Our Beloved Summer' script book. Photo by 11st

Fans say the reason they buy script books is "because even after the drama ends, they can feel the lingering emotions through the script book." A said, "After a drama ends, I usually can't get over it for about three months, and during that time, I look at the script book."

Another advantage is that you can see the creative behind-the-scenes and edited parts of the drama. Reading the lines and stage directions in text allows you to notice character traits and scenes that you might have missed in the video. On drama communities, it is common to find posts saying, "I bought two copies: one for collection and one to underline parts missing from the drama and record added parts."

Lists of dramas with published script books are also shared among fans. Additionally, on YouTube, videos titled 'Script Book Unboxing' explain the cover or read the script aloud.

◆ Not just a book, but a 'merchandise'

According to Yes24, sales of TV drama script books and photo essays showed a continuous increase, with sales in 2021 and 2022 rising by 46.3% and 27%, respectively, compared to the two-year period from 2019 to 2020.

Moreover, the number of published drama and movie scripts increased from 14 in 2020 to 58 in 2022 during the January to July period. The year-over-year sales growth rate also rose from 93.2% in 2020 to 121% in 2022. According to Kyobo Bookstore, sales in the drama and scenario category from January 1 to March 14 this year increased 2.7 times compared to last year. The largest proportion of buyers were in their 20s and 30s, accounting for 36.2% and 28.5%, respectively.

Consumers purchasing script books consider them not simply as 'books' but as a type of drama 'merchandise' or 'product.' The fandom effect of popular dramas drives the desire to collect them like goods and the wish to revisit memorable lines. Additionally, the power of reader fandom sharing famous drama lines on social media platforms like Twitter plays a role. Industry insiders analyze that the demographic of script book consumers has changed accordingly.

Experts say that while in the past, aspiring drama writers or actors often bought script books for practice, recently, many fans watch dramas, analyze them directly, and want to keep the scripts as collectibles.

Cultural critic Jung Deok-hyun said, "The current publishing market is shrinking, so content that attracts readers' attention is thriving more than general publications," adding, "The demand for drama script books reflects the 'fandom market' and 'desire to collect.'" He further analyzed, "It reflects viewers' desire to own good dramas."