WORLD BOOK NIGHT 2012 IN XXXX LIBRARY ON THE 23RD APRIL 2012
(DATE). Xxxx library is proud to be hosting an event as part of World Book Night 2012, the nationwide celebration of the reading,
recommending and giving of books.
Now in its second year, World Book Night 2012 will take place on the 23rd April, UNESCO’s International Day of the Book and Shakespeare’s birthday.
World Book Night is an industry-wide initiative launched in 2011 and will see one million free books given away by passionate readers to other members of the public across the UK and Ireland.
Members of the public were invited to apply to be one of the 20,000 book-givers and those selected are passionate readers who enjoy recommending a book they love to other readers. They are also encouraged to pass the books on to those who may be reluctant readers or who are part of communities with less access to books, bookshops and libraries. In total, 480,000 books will be distributed by givers. The remaining 520,000 will be distributed directly to prisons, libraries, hospitals and other placeswhere books are not readily available, through World Book Night’s charitable partners. For further information visit
Members of the public will have the opportunity to take part in a special event at xxxx library and this event will form part of a nationwide celebration of books and reading.
[Insert details of event, time, location, key participants etc.]
County/District/Borough Councillor xxxxx, commented: “INSERT QUOTE”
Librarian XXXXXXXXX said: “INSERT QUOTE”
XXXXX library's participation in World Book Night is organised by The Reading Agency, the reader development agency for libraries’ work with readers.
The 25 titles selected for World Book Night 2012 are:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Vintage)
The Player of Games by Iain M Banks (Little, Brown)
Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham (Little, Brown)
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson (Transworld)
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperCollins)
The Take by Martina Cole (Headline)
Harlequin by Bernard Cornwell (HarperCollins)
Someone Like You by Roald Dahl (Penguin)
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Penguin)
Room by Emma Donoghue (Pan Macmillan)
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier (Little, Brown)
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber)
Misery by Stephen King (Hodder)
The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella (Transworld)
Small Island by Andrea Levy (Headline)
Let the Right One In by John Ajvde Lindqvist (Quercus)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Pan Macmillan)
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (Vintage)
The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell (Headline)
The Damned Utd by David Peace (Faber)
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman (Transworld)
How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (Penguin)
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson (Vintage)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (Vintage)
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (Transworld)
The WBN 2012 titles were selected in part by members of the public who participated in an online ballot this summer leading to the World Book Night Top 100 books most nominated for the 2012 give-away. This list provided a starting point for an editorial committee of industry experts chaired by acclaimed novelist Tracy Chevalier. 11 of the public’s choices made the list of 25, including Pride and Prejudice, which came in at number 2 in the Top 100, The Book Thief at number 3, and The Time Traveller’s Wife at number 5. The World Book Night Top 100 can be viewed in full at
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NOTES TO EDITORS
•World Book Night is a Charity dedicated to the promotion of books and reading.
•World Book Night EditorialCommittee: Alastair Aldous, Fiona Burrell, Jamie Byng,
Tracy Chevalier (Chair), Grace Dent, Seni Glaister, Jon Howells, Julia Kingsford, Dorothy Koomson, Jane Mays, Tim O'Dell, Tim O'Kelly, Chris Queree, Amanda Ross
•World Book Night Steering Committee:
Mark Bell, Jamie Byng, Richard Cable, Tracy Chevalier, Stephanie Duncan, Tony Durcan,
Minna Fry, Jonny Geller, Jamie Hodder-Williams, Becky Ikin, Bob Jackson, Julia Kingsford, Sandy Mahal, Kate McFarlan, Miranda McKearney, Fiona McMorrough, Martin Neild, Joanna Prior, Cathy Rentzenbrink, Jane Streeter
•World Book Night Trustees: Jamie Byng,Penny Chapman, Mark Cousins, Michael
Goldman, Jude Kelly (Chair),Ursula MacKenzie, FionaMcMorrough, Martin Neild, Lemn Sissay
•Word Book Night will launch in the USA on April 23, 2012. The title selection process is
underway and US Executive Director, Carl Lennertz aims to recruit 50,000 givers who will each give away twenty copies of one of the selected titles in their communities, replicating the WBN UK format in a 1,000,000 book give-away on a single night.
•The Reading Agency is a founding partner of World Book Night. The Reading Agency is
an independent charity working to inspire more people to read more. It specializes in helping libraries make more social impact through reading. It is funded by the Arts Council. (
•World Book Night is partnered with the BBC. The BBC creates partnerships with the arts
sector that go beyond broadcast, from sharing expertise to widening public engagement in UK arts.
BBC Radio 4 is delighted to be able to participate in World Book Night for the second year running. We want to encourage not just reading, but a deeper understanding of the writers whose books have been chosen. Each week we provide interviews, reviews and background pieces on world literature through Front Row (our daily arts programme), Open Book (our weekly books magazine programme), Desert Island Discs and single arts documentaries.
Discover a growing list of programmes from the Radio 4 archive, featuring this year’s World Book Night authors, on the Radio 4 website now. We hope this will enhance the reading experience of those lucky people who are given a book, and all those many more who will use the WBN list to expand their literary horizons or encourage others to do so.
BBC Radio 4 has a growing archive of interviews and reviews with the World Book Night authors. Go to
For further information on World Book Night, contact FMCM Associates
on Tel: 0207 405 7422 or email
BBC is an official media partner to WBN
World Book Night is a registered charity (number 1138588) and a limited company registered in England and Wales (company number 07406565). Registered office 4 Uxbridge Street, LondonW8 7SY