ABSTRACT
The dual forces of technology and globalisation have disrupted the structure of rural economies, as well as the form and function of the material objects at its very core. Books are one example of how an object has undergone rapid changes to how it is accessed and consumed in the wake of e-readers and online distribution. These advances confront the future of the book industry, as well as the global ‘Booktown’ movement, which relies on bookselling as a tourism product to reinvigorate rural economies. Events perform an important strategic role for Booktowns through overlaying an economy based on book trading with an ‘experience’ or ‘creative tourism’ driven economy. Such activities also serve to connect book traders to a market of bibliophiles and provide place-branding opportunities for the Booktown itself. Using the case study of Clunes Booktown in rural Australia, this chapter will examine its annual book festival, an event that houses the country’s largest collection of niche and second-hand books. Reflecting on the festival’s trajectory over the last decade, the chapter will draw upon primary and secondary material and interviews with key stakeholders to analyse the event’s strategic role in achieving the twin objectives of rural renewal and becoming a leading Booktown internationally.
