How to share books during Book Week Scotland

This year’s Book Week Scotland is going to be a little different, as all our fantastic events will be hosted online.

There are still lots of ways to celebrate and share books in your community. This year, if we are all a wee bit creative, people will be able to discover the joy of books, reading and writing all around their neighbourhood, school, town – wherever a community of readers can find one another.

Below is a list of ideas for book sharing activities in your community. Do them as they are, use them as a springboard for your own ideas or unleash your creativity and design your own Book Week Scotland extravaganza!

Book windows

Recommend books to friends and neighbours by asking your street, village, or everyone in your stair to place a favourite book in their window. Like the rainbow hunt during lockdown, maybe you and your family can go on a book-hunt on your walks during the week? Perhaps kids across the town will want to share their favourite books this way?

Share photos of any books you spot with us on Twitter(this link will open in a new window) or Instagram(this link will open in a new window)

Read the High Street

Use our empty belly posters to share intriguing first lines from favourite novels all over town, whether on supermarket notice boards, in cafe windows, on bus stops, benches and bins… You never know who you might inspire.

Read the restroom

Print a micro story onto an empty belly poster and stick it on the back of a toilet door – the perfect length for a visit to the facilities!

50 Word Fiction

Download our Future-themed 50 Word Fiction posters to share with your community. Feeling inspired? We run a 50 Word Fiction competition every month of the year – new participants always welcome!

"I am reading" badge

Why not make yourself a badge to share what you're currently reading? Wear it proudly, draw attention to it, be prepared to discuss at checkouts or in a socially distanced queue (this will work best if it’s a BIG badge). If you're feeling generous you could make badges for friends and family too.

Pay it forward

Visit your local bookshop! Treat yourself, or pay it forward by buying an extra book for the bookshop to gift to another lucky customer.

Socially distanced stories

Chalk or stencil a single line of a story at each marker on a socially distanced queue – as the queue progresses so does the story!

Poetrees

Tie a different poem to the trunk of each tree on a favourite local walk, so that folk in your community can stroll through an anthology of Poetrees. If you do this, please ensure that any ties you use are tree and environment friendly – wool is good – and be responsible and remove the poems at the end of Book Week Scotland!