Luxury resort seeks outgoing person for desert island bookseller position. Must love reading.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Philip Blackwell, who previously ran British book retailer chain Blackwells, is recruiting for what surely has to be a new contender for the title of “best job in the world.”
The successful candidate will run a pop-up book shop at eco resort Soneva Fushi in the Maldives, where villas can cost up to $26,000 per night.
In addition to touting literary works to wealthy guests, the bookseller will be required to write an “entertaining and lively blog” about their travel experiences and host creative writing courses.
Dream role
They’ll also need to move close to the resort, which is described as “the original desert island hideaway in the Maldives,” and commit to the position for a minimum of three months.
Positioned a 30-minute sea plane journey from Malé International airport, Soneva Fushi is within the Baa Atoll UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and boasts a number of five-star villas located steps from a white sand beach.
The pop-up book shop’s collection, supplied by publishing house Phaidon, will be largely made up of illustrated tomes focusing on art, design, style and cookery as well as a variety of books that reflect the local surroundings.
“We want someone on the ground who is creative and inspiring and can maybe get more people to share the pleasure of reading, which is what people enjoy doing on holiday,” Blackwell told The Guardian.
Blackwell, a descendent of Benjamin Henry Blackwell, founder of Blackwells, now runs the Ultimate Library company, which creates library collections for resort hotels like Six Senses and JW Marriott and private residences.
For every hotel library they supply to, Ultimate Library helps to donate a reading and reference library to a local institute to assist the community.
“Fringe benefits unparalleled”
“The pay is derisory but the fringe benefits unparalleled,” he added. “The role will evolve and it is in part up to you to make the most of this unique opportunity.
“It’s a dream job for many people. If I was 25 again I would do it.”
While the desert island bookseller role certainly is a dream job for many, it’s of course not the only high-profile position that has left many of us considering leaving everything behind and hopping on a plane.
Back in May, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park began advertising for a new caretaker for the Low Isles, off Port Douglas in North Queensland, where duties involved occasional snorkeling and conduct surveys of pied-imperial pigeons.
Meanwhile, earlier this month God’s Little People Cat Rescue advertised a position for a cat-lover to handle the daily running of the feline sanctuary on the Greek island of Syros.
The pop-up book shop is due to open on October 1.
The listing was posted on UK book industry website Book Brunch (subscription needed).
