Pay-as-you-read

Perhaps Rick Warren like to contact Modern Times bookshop in San Francisco. The struggling Californian bookseller has come up with an interesting ruse to raise cash. It’s invited customers to consider sponsoring sections of its bookstore, in return for a plaque (as in ‘This wine section generously sponsored by Gladys Bembo’). While the move smacks a little of desperation, the shop has an additional and ingenious lure: due to its relationship with a nearby college, all contributions have charitable status. If only our own taxman was so understanding.