A final year student from the University of Bath is launching a magazine that will feature chapters from new novels, to hand out free to passengers on the London Underground.
Each issue of the Underground Book Club will contain the opening three chapters of three new books, and is designed to give commuters a quality read on their journey.
Andy Brown, a 24 year-old Aerospace Engineering student from Epsom, has just won the University’s Students’ Union business plan competition with his idea and will trial the venture on 16 April in London.
Friends and family will help him to distribute 10,000 copies of the magazine at 10 stations, including Paddington, Waterloo and Victoria.
Andy’s inspiration for the company came from his experience of commuting in London. He said: “The free newspapers on the tube can get pretty boring. So I thought, instead of people reading news on the way to work, why not give them the chance to read premium quality content from new books. They can then read the next chapter online, read interviews with the authors and put questions to them.
“I thought it was a good idea, but it’s taken a lot of work to find out whether it makes a good business. The trial is all about proving that people want it.”
Andy has leading publishers on board including Bloomsbury, Penguin and Harper Collins. The magazine will be funded by advertising, with the first issue featuring small businesses including a number of Bath student and graduate start-up companies.
The magazine will feature a range of books to appeal to as many people as possible, with the first issue including Life! Death! Prizes! by Stephen May (Bloomsbury); Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich (Ebury Press); and Catch your Death by Louise Voss and Mark Edwards (Harper Collins).
Bath graduate start-up Urban Tribe have mentored Andy with his business idea and he has taken full advantage of the enterprise support available on campus, including a ‘Dragon’s Den’ funding competition and a business pitching event with Deloitte.
Andy was selected for business backing by Bath graduate Dr Richard Palmer in a ‘Dragon’s Den’ pitching competition for students held at the end of 2011.
Andy said: “I’ve had loads of support from the Students’ Union’s enterprise team which has helped me to get my idea off the ground. The prize money I’ve accumulated from the business plan competition, Dragon’s Den and the Deloitte pitching event has really helped to reduce the financial strain on me.”
Siobain Hone, Students’ Union Enterprise Manager said: “It’s fantastic that Andy has gone right through the enterprise training on offer at Bath and is now launching his own business. He’s an ambitious guy with a very credible plan for turning his ideas into a great business.
“We had a record number of entrants for the business plan competition and Andy won because he had a strong plan with good figures behind it. His passion for his business shone through and he had a diverse range of potential income streams. He’s demonstrated that he’s learnt a lot from the competition process.”
Andy is working on his business alongside his final year project, ahead of graduation in the summer.
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