Could selected magazines be "vended" to travellers?

Photo: (RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR)

Since there now is a book vending machine at Billy Bishop airport on Toronto Islands, could we be too far away from a vending machine for some of Canada's best magazines? For instance, winners at the National Magazine Awards. 

According to a story in the Toronto Star, there are 20 independent titles available in the machine put in place by Literary Press Group, a collective of about 60 independent Canadian publishers. Carry On Books is a summer-long experiment running from June 1 to Aug. 31. The project was funded by the Canada Book Fund, which is part of the federal Department of Heritage.

Inspiration for the machine came in part from the Biblio-Mat at The Monkey’s Paw bookshop on Bloor St. W., which provides used books, as well as short story machines in Edmonton and Paris airports that dispense a story for those in need of a quick read.

 “We thought Billy Bishop was the best place to launch a book vending machine because there’s no real entertainment options on the flight,” noted Thomas. “We often see passengers reading the literature on the plane,” [said Christen Thomas, the organization’s executive director.]