The Chicago Tribune posted a story today about Novel-Tees. What are Novel-tees, you ask? Well, they’re t-shirts featuring fictional places. Places that don’t exist. Places, specifically, from novels. And what could appeal to big readers better than that?
According to Novel-Tees creator Lou Bank:
“We’re selling to the devoted book geeks,” Novel-Tees creator Lou Bank said. Unless you’ve read “High Fidelity” or have seen the 2000 movie of the same name, “you’re not going to know what Championship Vinyl is—the ones that get it, really get it.” Bank, who is vice president of Chicago’s Dolores Kohl Education Foundation, has been printing the shirts for about four years, with all the proceeds going to Protect, a child protection lobby whose mission is to deter child abuse.
After contacting the authors, Bank asks for the naming rights to the fictional locations in the books— essentially, having them donate a landmark from their imaginary worlds.
The books don’t have any common thread that qualifies them for Novel-Tees consideration. They’re simply novels that Bank and his colleagues like.
So far, the novel-tees include “Mama’s” from the novels of Andrew Vachss, “Championship Vinyl” from Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, a high-school Jersey from a made-up highschool in Chuck Klosterman’s Downtown Owl, Sanchez Motorworks from Charles de Lint’s Mystery of Grace and the fictional P.I. firm Kenzie & Gennaro Investigations from Dennis Lehane’s books.
I think this is such a cool idea. It really does have a certain book nerd street-cred about it, and encourages little literary secret handshakes throughout the day, like when VW van drivers honk/wave at one another. I’d love one that said “Sunny Maycomb County”, personally. But I’m not holding my breath.
Not all of Bank’s favorite authors are easy to reach. Others aren’t interested.
On top of Bank’s wish list: the Overlook Hotel from Stephen King’s “The Shining.”"But there’s a guy you just can’t get in touch with,” he said.
Thanks for the boost, Elizabeth C! And … I’m trying to convince the
Tribune to do a contest, where readers send in their designs for the shirt
they’d want; then other readers vote for their favorites. The Trib is on the
fence–but posting your suggestion in their comment section, after the
article, might change that.
But, again, thanks for helping spread the word! We’re just a little short
story, but hope to be a series of novels one day!
Hi, Lou!
Thanks for stopping by the AbeBooks blog, and you’re more than welcome for the boost – it’s a really cool idea. I’m running over my favourite books in my head to see what other places I’d suggest if it were up to me.
Here’s hoping the Tribune decides to do your contest.
-Beth
I so love this idea. I’m trying to think of tees that I’d wear, and I’m kind of blanking.