July 24, 2007
BookCrossing.com
I wrote several posts about BookCrossing when I first started my blog, but that was a year ago. I have a lot of new reader’s now and haven’t mentioned BookCrossing in a while. I was reminded of that when Kate posted a comment to my birthday/Table of Contents post: “Love the way your group shares reading material and releases it into the wild. I sure wish we had something like that around here.”
Well, Kate, you do! Everyone around the globe does, or can have if they want it. Let me explain what BookCrossing is, then in a later post I’ll tell you a little about our own local group. The premise of BookCrossing is that books on a shelf aren’t doing anything for anyone. Sure, most readers have a few “keepers” that we read again and again, but, let’s face it, most of our books are just gathering dust. We read them once and then allowed them to become a permanent part of our decor. In my own home the more appropriate word would be clutter. Why not do ourselves a favor by reducing the clutter, while doing someone else a delightfully surprising favor at the same time? Why not give our books away as a random act of kindness?
Sounds pretty crazy, doesn’t it? But think about it. If you really liked the book, you’ll be giving someone else the opportunity to discover the same joy you found between its pages. If you didn’t care that much for it, well, why are you keeping around anyway? There’s a reader out there for every book ever printed. Let serendipity take a hand in bringing the two together.
It’s really easy to get started. Pick a couple of books off of your shelves and click on my referral link. You’ll land on a page with instructions for registering to be a BookCrossing member. (It’s not the kind of referral where I make money off of you, but I get to call you friend if you use my link.) Once you’re a member, you’ll learn about The Three Rs: Read, Register, Release. Let’s assume you’ve already read the book. Now register it with BookCrossing. Takes about two minutes, maybe a little more if you choose to make a comprehensive journal entry about your experience with the book (not mandatory, but a very cool thing to do.) As soon as you get the book registered you’ll be given a unique BookCrossing ID number. Put this BCID inside the front cover of the book. There are labels on the site you can download, or you can just write the BCID along with a brief message if you prefer. BookCrossing also sells beautiful, self-stick bookplates you can use. Great way to support the service, but that’s not mandatory either. BookCrossing is free, so it’s only going to cost you money if you choose certain options. Now it’s time to start the fun stuff. Relase your book! Leave it on a park bench or a table at a restaurant. ATMs are great places to leave books, as are bus stop benches. Let your imagination guide you. Add a note to your book’s entry noting where you left it. Someone will find your book and take it home. If they have a computer, they’ll go to BookCrossing and enter the BCID number. They’ll read what you wrote about the book and some of them will be inspired to make their own entry. It’s an amazing experience to discover that the book you left in front of the corner drugstore has found a new home and made someone happy. It’s even more thrilling when your book grows legs and travels around the world! You’ll love it when your books start writing home to tell you about their adventures!
Those are the basics. There’s a lot more you can do with Bookrossing. Make sure you sign up for release alerts. That will notify you when someone sets a book free in the region you’ve selected. You can put on your safari hat and go hunting. Finding a book released by another BookCrosser is almost as thrilling as having one of your own books found. I also swap a lot of books with the local BookCrossers that I meet with on a regular basis. I go through fanatical stages with my BookCrossing from time to time, so the books I’ve registered don’t necessarily reflect my personal taste. I sometimes buy used books at thrift stores specifically for release. I usually end up reading a few of them, but most of those are released unread (by me) with a specific purpose. Before they closed down the homeless encampment near my home I made it a habit to release books there on a regular basis. I don’t expect to hear back from those books, but that’s okay. They’re out there making people happy. Some of my used books were purchased so that I could participate in release challenges among other BookCrossers. No one is going to police you to make sure you follow a specific pattern, so have fun with BookCrossing in whatever way works for you!
BookCrossing will assign you a bookshelf when you register. That’s the place where you keep track of the books that you’ve put into the system. I’m hopelessly behind on journaling, but you can see some of the books I’ve registered and released on
my bookshelf if you’d like.
Edit: Here’s my post about The Table of Contents, the local BookCrossers that I meet with in real life.
[tags]bookcrossing, books, reading[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 6:56 pm • Books, Society & culture
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July 25th, 2007 at 3:24 am, Drew Says:
I am in book crossing. I have released one book so far, I need to start releasing others. Have you had much luck?
July 25th, 2007 at 3:40 am, pelf Says:
I have heard of BookCrossing about a year (or two) ago but did not register because there were less than ten books going around in Malaysia, and most of them are in KL. I’d never find one where I (was) am.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:20 am, Venomous Kate Says:
This is SUCH a great idea, Skeet! Thanks for the details. I have rooms upon rooms of books, and yes they’re all gathering dust. I’d love to know they were traveling into appreciative hands.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:36 am, Electric Venom » Blog Archive » Bookcrossing: Sharing Books With Strangers Says:
[…] got a better method: she’s a member of BookCrossing, a free site that encourages people to share books with […]
July 25th, 2007 at 9:45 am, skeet Says:
If you’re asking about getting journal entries on books I’ve released Drew, my average is about 10%. Releasing books is an act of faith. I believe that most of the books I’ve released are still out there somewhere, being cherished by their new owner are going on new journeys!
July 25th, 2007 at 9:47 am, skeet Says:
Pelf, it’s the other half of the equation that I really enjoy: knowing that I’m making a stranger’s day when I release a book. Besides, a lot of people sign up for BookCrossing when they find a book. Maybe if you release a few yourself, the people who find them will sign up & you’ll have started a thriving BookCrossing community in your own neighborhood!
July 25th, 2007 at 9:47 am, skeet Says:
I knew you’d like this, Kate! Have fun!
July 26th, 2007 at 7:48 am, allysther Says:
Great post. Have you thought of submitting it to the newsletter? A bit of tweeking and I think it would be perfect for them.
Pelf-as of this moment, Malaysia has 1877 members. There may not be many books out there on a day to day basis, but the members are out there. I say sign up, look for someone near you and have fun!
July 26th, 2007 at 2:08 pm, skeet’s stuff » Table of Contents Says:
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