World Book Night will give out one million books to hospitals, prisons, nursery homes, and to the impoverished. Over 25,000 volunteer book givers will go out on April 23rd into 6,000 towns and cities across America and give books to a half-million people in need. Additionally, the UK, Ireland, and Germany will hold a similar event.
The event includes many partners, such as authors, publishers, the American Library Association, Barnes & Noble, American Booksellers Association, and many others. 25 book titles were specifically chosen and reprinted in World Book Night editions and the copies are disseminated in a systematic way to reach those in need.
It is an excellent way to promote literacy and to foster a community of readers. If you want to help give the gift of reading, I urge you to donate your books to your local library, churches and temples, and non-profit organizations. You can also volunteer with a local literacy group. At the very least, keep reading books and expand the minds of others.
The organization’s website says it best when it states: “It is difficult to qualify the value of reading on people’s lives, especially given the shocking statistics in the UK that one person in six struggles to read and write. Poor skills compromise health and well-being, confidence and employability. World Book Nights charitable mission is to advance the education of the public by assisting in the promotion of literacy and the celebration of books and reading by creating unique moments which focus attention on adult literacy. By focusing on the enjoyment and engagement of reading, we aim to reach and inspire those who have never discovered the value of reading.”
Interestingly, April 23 was chosen, in part, because it is the date William Shakespeare was born on—and died on. UNESCO appointed the date as the International Day of the Book. I can’t think of a better way to honor that day than to give a book to another and perhaps change his or her life.
For more information, consult www.worldbooknight.org and tweet about it @wbnAmerica.
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Did you See This Post? Future of Book Publishing: 2016
Kirsten Neuhaus, Founder of Kirsten Neuhaus Literary on Book Publishing in 2016
“By 2016 I would predict that ebook sales will capture well over 50% of the market, perhaps even 75%. It may be shortsighted but I don't suspect that hard copy books will have gone away completely in four years. Though I do suspect that we'll unfortunately be looking at increasingly lower prices for hard copies in order to compete with ebooks. The author's share of ebook royalties for most book contracts will be much higher than right now, perhaps even 50%. I also think that the period of retraction for the larger houses will most likely continue to some degree as new models for publishing continue to take more market share. But as with the music industry, there will always be a demand to have your work brought out by the biggest and most prestigious companies. I do believe however, that self-publishing will continue to grow in significance. As with anything that moves into a digital sphere, there is a great equalizing effect that happens. Once people grow more comfortable downloading books online, the format, structure and content, in addition to who or what is distributing them, will grow more varied. I think the best thing to say about the future is that it will inevitably include books. But the industry has a bumpy road ahead and as a whole we will have to become more adaptable and take a larger part in the ever growing dialog regarding the creation, distribution and marketing of content online.” -- www.KirstenNeuhausLiterary.com
Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s leading book publicity firm. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person
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