A Model Plan For Growing Literacy

New York City is spending 1.4 million dollars to boost summer reading for nearly 30,000 students by donating some 350,000 books. The books will go to children in kindergarten through second grade in about 100 schools in four low-performing, high-need areas.  They were the first schools in the city to get literacy coaches this academic year.  This is a plan that should be replicated throughout the country!

Government financing and stewardship of the program is imperative for its success, but corporate sponsors can be a help too.  Even more important, authors and publishers can play a big role here.

The beautiful thing about a program like this is that these books can have a long shelf life.  Each student that receives a dozen books to read over the summer can, theoretically, share them with libraries or other students so that the gift of giving keeps giving.  Further, kids can trade books with one another so that they get to read even more books.

Literacy is not only needed for our country’s economy to grow, but for the functioning of every American.  With literacy, the masses will not only thrive at work and navigate daily tasks, they can enjoy the act of reading and all of the pleasure it can deliver.

Book publishers always have leftover copies of books that didn’t sell.  If they can donate those books – or sell them at a dirt-cheap price to city governments – a fresh supply of books can be made available.

Further, so many authors, especially self-published ones, can do the same and make their books available for free or inexpensively so that underachieving or under-privileged children catch a break.

Publishers and authors will build up a positive reputation and goodwill within the communities they serve.  In fact, they may find they will build loyal readers and consumers as a result.

Aside from donating books, writers and those in the book publishing industry can lobby others to also donate books.  Additionally, they can volunteer their time to coach and educate children.

The book publishing industry can make a huge difference in the reading lives of a whole new generation.  And it should.  Not only will the world be a better place for it, the book industry will directly benefit from expanding on the number of consumers who can eventually buy their products. It’s a win-win situation.

I just donated over 125 books to a library in a neighborhood that is in flux. Do you have anything to give?

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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs