Penguin gooses publishing biz

In a bid to lure men in Britain away from watching TV soccer games and into bookshops, publisher Penguin Books will send out a sexy model to offer $1,800 prizes to males spotted reading a selected title.

The publicity ploy, launched Monday, aims to boost sales among men, who on average buy fewer books than women.

Penguin’s so-called Good Booking Girl will canvass the streets this month for men older than 16 reading versions of Nick Hornby’s “31 Songs” that bear a special cover sticker. A different title will be chosen each month.