World Book Night is a celebration of reading. The night commemorates how reading brings people from different backgrounds together to celebrate the joy of reading books. The night is marked by The Reading Agency, which is a charity that promotes reading across the country in collaboration with partners. Their vision is a world where everyone is reading towards a better life.

World Book Night is commemorated by distributing books across the country, especially for those who do not regularly read. They are often gifted through various organizations like libraries, hospitals and prisons. Thirty-one per cent of adults in the UK do not read in their free time.

Let us learn more about World Book Night, what you can do to participate this year, and some great books you can pick up today to share with others.

What is World Book Night?

World Book Night came about ten years ago in 2011 when it was celebrated on March 5th in the UK and Ireland. In 2012, it was moved to April 23^rd, which is the UNESCO International Day of the Book and possibly the birth date of William Shakespeare.

Jamie Byng MD of Canongate created world Book Night. He was looking for a way to motivate communities to read. The name was inspired by World Book Day, which celebrates children’s reading around the world. It was in 2012 that World Book Night was first celebrated in the US. In 2013, World Book Night became part of the Reading Agency and is now run by the charity.

In 2022, World Book Night will be celebrating its eleventh year since it was established. It aims to promote reading among adults and young adults across the country. Reading has been an important means of therapy and support for many who have been in lockdown due to COVID-19. The day drives the message that reading is a simple affordable way that offers company and support.

Why Is It Celebrated on April 23?

April 23^rd is marked by UNESCO as the International Day of the Book. The date was probably selected because it was thought that this is the birthdate of William Shakespeare. The date April 23^rd is also the death date of Shakespeare in addition to his birthdate. William Shakespeare was born in 1564, but because record-keeping was not very accurate back, then we cannot be exactly sure of his birthdate. Experts, by putting records together and keeping in mind he was baptized on April 26^th assume that he was born on April 23^rd.

UNESCO celebrates World Book Day and Copyright Day on April 23^rd. UNESCO promotes reading amongst children and adults on this day by marking the month of April with various events and activities. Every year they announce challenges that children and adults can participate in, that will encourage reading across the community.

This year the UNESCO World Book Day challenge is the book face challenge. This year, book readers around the world are asked to take a picture of themselves with their favourite book cover. All of the pictures will be shared on UNESCO’s social media pages on April 23^rd.

Who is the Target Audience for World Book Night?

World Book Night is an event that targets adults around the world. The event invites adults across the world to explore new books or revive their love for reading. Sometimes adulthood and responsibilities as parents result in adults not finding time to read.

We often encourage our children or other young adults in our community to read but do not take time out for ourselves to sit back and enjoy a novel. World Book Night is a reset for adults around the world who need to revive reading for enjoyment and for those who may never have experienced the chance to enjoy reading for relaxation.

World Book Night calls upon readers to share copies of their favourite books for free with those who do not read or who do not read often. You can buy 80 copies of a book from a predetermined list or of your choice that you can then gift to others. The activity not only encourages reading but also provides an opportunity for people to get to know their community and encourage others to read.

How to Hand Out Your Books

One of the main activities of World Book Night is handing out books for free. This may seem an intimidating activity to do, so let us go over some tips on how to hand out your books:

• If you are having trouble with what to say when you hand out your books, you can try some prompts like those found in this list. It is always better to be ready before you approach someone so that they have an idea of why you are handing out a book.
• You do not have to hand out all of your books on the 23^rd, although that is preferable. You can also hand it out the day before or the day after.
• In regards to which books you should give away, it is always best to keep in mind that whatever you give away, it should have some relevance to the person reading it. You can choose a book of your liking or something from a suggested list.
• Your local library can help you with directions on how to hand out your books and other tool kits you can download that you can pass out in your community.
• Your workplace or organisation can participate in World Book Night by clicking here on The Reading Agency’s site to see how they can get involved.

How Do You Participate in World Book Night?

There are many ways you can mark World Book Night this year, other than giving out books. If you want to celebrate World Book Night but do not want to hand out books then here are some other great ways you can participate:

• From 7 pm to 8 pm on April 23^rd, it will be the reading hour and across the world, adults will participate in this reading hour.
• Participate in an audiobook giveaway. For more information, visit The Reading Agency website.
• Check out the approved list of books to give away this year available on The Reading Agency's website.
• If you cannot hand out books in the community, consider sharing a book with a friend or relatives.
• You can host a book swap at your place of work where everyone can exchange books.
• You can start a book club and have the first meeting on April 23^rd.
• If you have a friend or relative who is not a member of your local library, you can take them to the library to become a member. 
• Throw a virtual book party where you can have some friends and relatives read the same book and then discuss it during an online meeting.
• Use social media to share why it is so important to read for pleasure from a mental and health well-being point of view. Reading is now being used as a form of therapy as it has been found to have a calming effect on those who suffer from anxiety and depression.
• Authors can use social media to do a live reading of excerpts of their book. This is a great way to promote reading and is great self-promotion.

Top Picks for World Book Night You Can Buy Today!

Looking for some great books that you can give away as donations for World Book Night? Well here is a great list of books by Austin Macauley Publishers that are perfect for donation.

You can order multiple copies of the book and visit a local community centre to donate them. You can also have your organisation get involved in World Book Night by having them buy books that their employees can donate in and around the community. World Book Night is about sharing the joy of reading. And what better way to do that, than by sharing a book with someone else.

In most cases, it usually only takes a good book to get someone back into the habit of reading and is an opportunity to introduce someone to reading who does not read often for pleasure.

Giving books away to others who do not read or who read less, is what World Book Night is all about. You can order these books online from the Austin McCauley website here.

                                

   

                               

 

Celebrate World Book Night

Celebrate World Book Night this year by sharing the joy of reading. We’ve given you some great reads you can buy and share and some great ideas of how you can celebrate World Book Night from the comfort of your home.

Here’s to hoping many more people discover the joy of reading this year on April 23^rd.

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