How World Book Night Boosts Book Readership

Cover via Amazon

So thrilled to have been chosen as a Book Giver for the first ever World Book Night!  I have today picked up my 48 allocated copies of Nigel Slater’s wonderful autobiography “Toast”, which I (along with thousands of other volunteers) am tasked with giving away to people who might enjoy it.

World Book Night has been dreamed up by publishers to promote reading for adults – a bit like World Book Day does for children (and it’s World Book Day today, folks, in case that’s passed you by).

Between us we’ll be giving away 1,000,000 copies of 25 titles carefully chosen by a panel chaired by James Naughtie.  It will make it especially fun to find interesting ways to give them away – and to encourage people who wouldn’t normally buy that kind of book.  I’m hoping to convert 48 unlikely people into avid fans of Nigel Slater’s wonderful writing!

Each book also has a unique number allocated to it, so that those who receive copies can go on to the World Book Night website and review it – and then pass it on to another reader.

My first two copies will go the dinnerladies who make dozens of slices of toast every playtime at my daughter’s village school.

The next one will go to the chairman of the PTA who is hooked on thrillers (she always makes a beeline for the secondhand bookstall that I run at PTA fundraisers and raids it for the goriest looking novels).  Real life can be just as thrilling, Becki!

Then there’s 10 set aside to give out to random visitors to the Village Hall Sunday Breakfast this weekend – the Hall Management Committee is raising funds towards hall maintenance and villagers will pay £5 for the privilege.   And now they will have a good chance of getting free “Toast” with their toast!

Still working on the rest of my list – but it’s a great scheme, terrific fun, and a jolly civilised thing to do!

To find out more, watch the BBC on Saturday night or visit their website.