Publishers Target Fandom with Photo Cards
Marketing Strategies Mirror K-pop "Album-Bulk Purchases"
Concerns Over Price Hikes and Overconsumption
Recently, office worker Mr. A purchased 21 copies of a new book written by his favorite YouTuber, "Gwedo." He did so to collect the limited-edition random photo cards included with the book. Mr. A said, "I kept buying books until I got the photo card I wanted, so I ended up buying dozens of copies," adding, "I plan to give away or dispose of the remaining books."
The so-called "album-kkaeng" culture-where fans buy albums in large quantities to obtain photo cards or entries to fan signing events, once exclusive to idol fandoms-is spreading to the publishing industry. Publishers, facing a downturn due to declining readership, are turning to fandom marketing as a survival strategy.
A book labeled 'Photo Card Giveaway' is displayed on a bookstore stand in the Seoul area. Photo by Jaehyun Park
According to the Korean Publishers Association on March 3, the total sales of major domestic publishers fell from 5.1081 trillion won in 2022 to 4.8911 trillion won in 2024. This decline is closely linked to the sharp drop in reading rates. According to the National Reading Survey announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2024, the annual comprehensive reading rate among adults fell from 67.4% in 2015 to 43.0% in 2023, marking an all-time low.
To boost sales, publishers are employing the "fandom" revenue model from the idol industry. For example, Youngjin.com released the EBS educational program book series "My Second Textbook" and collaborated with science YouTuber "Gwedo" and Egyptologist Kwak Minsoo (Aegub Minsoo) to offer photo cards to book buyers. Unlike past publishing industry merchandise, where all buyers received the same item, the current trend is to provide one random photo card out of five types per purchase, encouraging multiple purchases.
At the center of this phenomenon are women in their teens and twenties, who have become major consumers in the publishing market. Familiar with idol fan culture, they are leading the "Text-Hip" trend, where reading and showing off books becomes a fashion statement. For instance, according to Yes24, 37.5% of the books selected as Book of the Year last year were in the literature category. Among them, "Honmono" by author Sung Haena, which ranked first in literature, received overwhelming support from readers in their teens (6.3%) and twenties (4.6%).
An industry insider stated, "When a popular influencer or author's random merchandise is included, initial sales are faster than for regular books," adding, "For publishers, it is difficult to resist the allure of fandom marketing, which guarantees solid sales."
However, concerns have also been raised about price inflation and resource waste. With merchandise production costs included, book prices may rise, and discarded books may pile up as some buyers keep only the photo cards. Eunhee Lee, a professor of consumer studies at Inha University, pointed out, "Random photo card marketing encourages excessive consumption and can lead to higher book prices, ultimately passing the burden onto readers."
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