Two young lovers of literature decided to found a entrepreneurship May it be a refuge for those books that deserve to be read and appreciated, but that often lose visibility in the face of the marketing of news. Alejandro Nabhen and Germán Soranno, the founders of Manjar, offer them through a monthly subscription service. Since its founding four years ago, more than 5,000 people have received their selection of contemporary author literature.
Alejandro and Germán were coworkers at a chain bookstore in Buenos Aires, a small store with a limited offering and mainly oriented toward commercial books. “The idea of entrepreneurship was born in mid-2020,” says Germán Soranno to iProfessionall.
“We realized that many people came looking for something to read without having anything specific in mind, and they ended up taking what we recommended, being able to influence purchasing decisions, especially with books that we were passionate about.”
Two of those books, Little flower and the optic nerve, became their favorites to recommend. They sold so many copies that they joked with the idea of opening a bookstore that would sell only those two titles.
The joke became serious and, although it was not a bookstore, they did decide to undertake and open their own path with a subscription service that prioritizes the good over the new.
“We believe that there are a number of very good books that are published, but that they are often lost due to the cannibalistic mechanics of the novelty market“says Germán. This phenomenon of constant rotation of titles in bookstores means that many exceptional books go unnoticed. Swimming against the current, Manjar prioritizes what is good for members over what is new. “We intend to organize access to books with a human criterion and not a market one,” he reinforces.
It is worth clarifying that the partners are people of letters and, as such, They are staunch readers.. The books they choose for subscriptions must meet a single immutable requirement: that they are passionate about reading. “We are very clear that our job is to be passionate to inspire others,” says Soranno.
Another differential that distinguishes Manjar from other subscription services is its comprehensive approach to reading experience. Each month, subscribers receive not just one book, but a set of items that enrich reading: a poetic postcard, a photo in polaroid format, a design bookmark, a culinary spice and access to a digital newsletter with additional information.
“We believe that reading does not end when the book is finished, nor does it begin when it is opened,” explains Germán. “We put together a themed delivery that accompanies reading, something like a literary microuniverse with its orbits and gravitations,” he details.
The Manjar subscription proposal, which currently It costs $15,500 with free shipping nationwide., resonated mainly with an audience between 25 and 45 years old, mostly women, middle class and with university or tertiary education. “Surprisingly, our audience is not as urban as we thought it would be. A large portion of subscribers are from small towns, where access to bookstores is limited“.
Inspiring new readers
Although not the original goal, Manjar is not only dedicated to satisfying avid readers, but also has the potential to promote the habit of reading in people who did not read frequently.
“With the monthly subscription you will always have a book nearby to start. In the competition of stimuli in which we live today, Without Manjar, the book was at a disadvantage. Your next reading was far away, in the bookstore, and not as close at hand as other types of entertainment. At the same time, subscribers with us discover fascinating authors that motivate them to delve deeper into their work and read more of their books,” says Germán.
With each delivery arrive conceptual elements linked to the book: a bookmark, a polaroid photo, a postcard or a culinary spice, among other possible winks to the reader.
Part of your strategy to reach more subscribers includes participation in fairs and the creation of meeting spaces to interact directly with readers.
“The idea is do not concentrate all communication on social networks and recover a little of the spirit with which the project was born. That is, personal contact with readers,” says Germán.
In this sense, Delicacy is more than a subscription; It is a community, an experience, and, above all, an unwavering commitment to good literature. Alejandro Nabhen and Germán Soranno with their entrepreneurship They showed that it is possible to swim against the current in the competitive publishing world, offering a refuge for those books that deserve to be read and appreciated.
