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World Book Night to host event at Trafalgar Square
17.02.11 | Charlotte Williams
World Book Night will hold a staged event in Trafalgar Square featuring "a great line up of well-known authors, actors and musicians" on 4th March, the evening before WBN itself. Waterstone's and Sony are sponsoring the event.
In an email sent out to those registered as WBN givers, organisers revealed that 2,500 pairs of tickets for the event have been set aside for givers, to be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The stars, still to be revealed, will be "reading from books they love". WBN organisers described it as being set to be "a historic and highly enjoyable occasion".
The email said further details of the line-up and how to apply for tickets will follow next week. It also said that WBN will "shortly" be sending details on how to join the World Book Night website, which is being redesigned and will go live at the end of next week, and how to become a "founding member of the World Book Night Book Club".
The email promised the new website will feature "lots of social elements", allowing users to communicate with other WBN givers. It will also contain a detailed regional breakdown of World Book Night events.
It also confirmed that all one million books have now been printed by Clays and are set for distribution. It said "hundreds of events" will be taking place across the UK and Ireland on the night itself, with bookshops and libraries planning to stay open late.
World Book Night will take place on 5th March, with 20,000 givers signed up to distribute 48 copies of their chosen title.
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Please stop quoting press releases. It's boring.
Bookchains going under in Britain, USA and Australia and Bing throws a party and gives away a million books. Public perception? Books are worthless. Completely idiotic PR stunt.
Who are the 13 people who have nominated my bookshop as their pick up point for their free books - and why have none of them spoken to me about it? Could it be that they are not customers of mine and I am just being used? At least their silence seems to show some kind of embarrassment about the situation. Why was it assumed I would want to opt in - when I certainly did not want anything to do with this stupid idea. And what is going to happen when people walk through the door with a copy of One Day and say 'I got this as a present can I exchange it'?? Please tell me this madness will never happen again. Publishers may be suicidal but we at the sharp end want to carry on making a living.
I have been Nominated as a delivery point by 7 individuals, only 1 of which is a regular customer, 3 of the others have informed me that they buy all their books from Amazon.I do hope that the fact that the books are free is printed on the cover!- i dont think that the industry could cope with a million exchanged books!
I don't understand how people can nominate your bookshop without your approval, and why you feel you have been opted in without volition? I can well understand that you don't like the king of hype byng and his lord of the manor approach to little old indies, but there are more people involved in this project than him, and to be frank we are doing this for your benefit, so please get with the programme.
An email was sent to BA members on Christmas Eve saying that we had to OPT OUT if we didn't wish to be a collection point. I certainly didn't have time to read/reply to that email, and I doubt few other indies did either. I was told yesterday I will be getting 19 boxes delivered to me next week. My shop is small and I don't have room to take in that number of boxes. Only 2 givers had the courtsey to tell me they had picked me as a collection point, who the others are, who knows?
Any indie bookseller who is getting their shop (ab)used as a mere transit delivery depot for this Booksellers Association jamboree has my total sympathy ; this is an ill-conceived scheme which will possibly benefit a few, but will cause enormous long-term damage to the trade.
No good merely blaming James Byng, the 'luncheon club' council members of the BA must bear greater responsibility.
We didn't opt in. We didn't opt out. We have no contract to do anything with unsolicted boxes.
The Bookseller "journalist" should name the person who organised this.
can't you simply refuse the books
Why do I feel opted in against my will?
Because I have only just discovered today that the one and only opportunity to opt out was apparently sent out by email on Xmas Eve - I was frantically busy on that day and did not have time to read every email - more's the pity. How many of the fabled 800 independents 'supporting' this initiative are in it because they missed the email sent out on one of the busiest days of the year?
Why wasn't it set up so that bookshops could OPT IN? Was it because someone, somewhere knew the response would be less than enthusiastic if given a real choice?
Please, please stop doing things for 'my benefit' without actually asking me what I need or want. You are killing us with your'kindness'.
Sorry, but no one can force you to take in these books. And the opt out was surely illegal. Just bolt your door.
Whoever they are, i suspect that they wont be potential customers- the idea that the initiative is to drive up footfall into shops is a litttle odd- it will drive up footfall only by those people coming in to pick up their free box of books.
Oh good lord! Can't you all just stop griping for a moment and take a look around at your local community, and see the enjoyment MOST people are having getting involved in this event
Looking at my community I am not seeing enjoyment - I am seeing fear and panic that the local library will be closed down as our council is looking at closing at least 3 branch libraries. If any part of the community deserves to have free books thrown at it surely it is the library service.
I have no idea which part of our community, in which we are heavily involved, is going to be enjoying these books because as I have said - not one of the people who have nominated us as a collection point have declared themselves to us. We are curious as to who these secretive people will be. We suspect it will be the media employed, the book group organisers & the yummy mummies - Amazon customers all- who are the last people who need another free book they will not actually read.
I nominated my local bookshop, as provided in a list of options. If they didn't want to be used, then they should request that they be removed from the WBN list.
On another matter, I think this is a great idea. I don't work in the industry, I just read books (purchased from all retailers (Inc digital), anything that encourages others to read a good book is a worthy cause.
I'm planning to give my selection to people at a train station. For those who want to read it, will take it home and read, the rest can leave it on a train for someone else.
Whatever your view point, we should support the objective of encouraging greater interest in books.
This point seems to be lost on some, more interested in finding a negative about the project.
I loved Gordon and Andrew's down beat comments from Scotland, where it has obviously been a long winter of discontent!
Who says you should n't stereotype people!
M.J.
www.off-jock.com
If you have no interest in this stupid promotion that will only convince the general public that independent's rip them off with there high prices and you did not opt your shop in to this promotion you have the Legal and absolute right to refuse the delivery and have it returned to the distributor.
Surely the whole point of World Book Night is to remind people of the importance of books? How they add something special to your life? How they can take you to other worlds - while making you understand our own world more? The givers may be giving books out to people who have never felt like reading novels before. And once they do - they may never NOT be able to read books again.
I love books. I assumed that booksellers loved books too. So I find it rather disappointing to see so much groaning and moaning - and whinging that the 'givers' haven't told the booksellers they had picked their shop off a list. How are they to know you hadn't 'opted out'? And why should you? If want to spread the world and encourage more people to love books - opt in!
Who knows - people may then come bcak to your shop and actually buy something.
Hi there. I am a nominated giver. I opted in to this event as I see it as a good opportunity and also it looks fun. I am not media employed, or a "yummy mummy" I am a mental health nurse. This is another area being struck by government funding but alas, I get on with it. I've not made myself known to my local library who I have picked as my pickup point. I don't see the need to. I frequented this library as a child taking up to my limit of six books more than once in a while. Shut up whining and see this for what it is supposed to be, a bit of fun to get people interested in books and reading.
I feel sorry that this event has caused so much concern, I am going to be a giver of books on march the 5th. I was e mailed with a short list of premises where I could collect my chosen book and asked to choose one, I presumed that the delivery points were involved with this decision. I do not think the Book Night is stupid or that those involved should be derided.As to members of the public trying to take books back to book shops for exchange or refund this will be difficult as all chosen titles for March 5th have 'World Book Night' printed on the front cover.It is a pour view of our society that anything 'for free' is looked upon with suspicion.
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