Managing the Big Day
Tips on how to plan and prepare a mass book release
by kz4ufoApril 30, 2004
Releasing one or two books in the wild on the same day is always exciting, but releasing dozens or even hundreds of books can be thrilling! It may sound like a lot of work (and, yes, it is!), yet with proper planning and preparation it can be one of the
most memorable BookCrossing experiences you will ever have.
The first goal is to decide on a theme or topic. Read your local newspaper and see if any special events are being planned in your area. For instance, if your community is planning to have a music festival, you could release books with musical instruments in the title, books with musical titles, or books with “Music” in the title. Or perhaps you have a favorite author or person that you would like to honor. Focus on books written by or about that particular person.
The next step involves the release date. If you are planning around a local event, the date can be during the event. However, if you are planning it around a particular person, you should do some research on the internet. Plan to release the books on the person’s birthday, date of death, or some other date that would be relevant to that individual.
Deciding on release locations are a little more difficult at this stage, but should be addressed. If you are anticipating releasing a large number of books, most release areas should be pre-planned. This helps prepare a Release Route – which becomes an essential tool for the release and release notes.
After your initial ideas are developed, make your fellow BookCrossers aware of your release and your book needs. Post on the Forums and on your Profile (Bookshelf) page. Let your friends and neighbors know what you need. If you are planning something rather large and something for a particular cause (for example, children’s books for a children’s hospital) alert the local media of your needs. This allows others in the community to contribute.
As you begin to gather books for your mass release, consider making special labels and journal entries for the books. Explain BookCrossing to the Finders and let them know how many people made it possible for them to have that book. Of course, a Finder could read more information on the site, but conveying your enthusiasm in a journal entry would certainly encourage them to join or keep passing the book on. (See example at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1143093)
When the books begin to pile up, it is time to start a spreadsheet. With a large number of BCIDs, titles, donating BookCrossers, and local contributors – a spreadsheet is essential! If your release will cover a number of release locations and/or a number of days, add a column on your spreadsheet for locations and date. This way, all your information will be easily accessible and help you maintain order before and after the release.
If you are releasing a large number of books, consider releasing through BookCrossing prior to the event. This can save you a great deal of time. Another thing to keep in mind is the Release Alert setting. To spare local BookCrossers a deluge of email, consider making a general release location or use the event as the location. (For example “Seussentennial Celebration Mass Release”) With the aid of your spreadsheet, you can easily add detailed release information and photos later.
If you have decided to use a variety of release locations, there are several things you can do to save time and maintain order for the release. Pre-sort books (with the aid of your spreadsheet) into bundles with twine and string tags. Pre-assign release locations on the bundled books string tags and pencil in that information on your spreadsheet.
Prepare a Release Route from this information. Creating a release order saves time and resources. This can be done by dividing your chosen release area into sections. Sections can be assigned names or numbers.
Place this assigned information on all string tags and your spreadsheet. Larger quantities of books can easily be distributed in paper shopping bags with sturdy handles. (For example, Section 2 has four bundles of books. Each bundle is tagged with Section 2 and its assigned name: The Mall, Downtown, the Boardwalk, and the Park.) Remember to label everything and record everything in pencil on your spreadsheet.
If you have too many books to release, recruit Releasers. They do not have to be BookCrossers to be a part of the event, yet hopefully after they experience all the fun of releasing they will want to be! With multiple Releasers, give each a copy of their route (and copies of any maps they may need), a copy of the spreadsheet (this way they can make additional notes, especially if the pre-assigned release location has to be changed) and BookCrossing bookmarks. (Bookmarks can be purchased through the BC Supply Store.) Make sure each Releaser has a pencil, scissors (to remove twine), and a camera. Under the circumstances, a disposable camera works best. Most film processors can develop any type of film onto a CD for easy web uploading. Taking photos of each book may be difficult (costly and time-consuming), but general or stock photos for some entries work just as well. (See example at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/735951)
Arrange to meet your fellow Releasers in a central area at an approximate time. Compare notes and release stories. While everyone is gathered, it may be prudent to visit a one hour photo and get the photos developed. This way the photos can be shared and the exact location can be mentioned (the release participant who took it will be able to know where it was).
After the event, begin editing all the release notes. Mention the general location the book was released and upload photos of the area or photos of the actual book being released. Also include any additional notes supplied by the Releasers which you feel should be included in the release notes.
Within a week of the release, follow-up with thank you cards. Let everyone who helped and contributed to your release know their efforts were greatly appreciated.
After everyone has been thanked, you can sit back, watch the wild catches pop-up in your email inbox, and begin to prepare for your next mass release!
The first goal is to decide on a theme or topic. Read your local newspaper and see if any special events are being planned in your area. For instance, if your community is planning to have a music festival, you could release books with musical instruments in the title, books with musical titles, or books with “Music” in the title. Or perhaps you have a favorite author or person that you would like to honor. Focus on books written by or about that particular person.
The next step involves the release date. If you are planning around a local event, the date can be during the event. However, if you are planning it around a particular person, you should do some research on the internet. Plan to release the books on the person’s birthday, date of death, or some other date that would be relevant to that individual.
Deciding on release locations are a little more difficult at this stage, but should be addressed. If you are anticipating releasing a large number of books, most release areas should be pre-planned. This helps prepare a Release Route – which becomes an essential tool for the release and release notes.
After your initial ideas are developed, make your fellow BookCrossers aware of your release and your book needs. Post on the Forums and on your Profile (Bookshelf) page. Let your friends and neighbors know what you need. If you are planning something rather large and something for a particular cause (for example, children’s books for a children’s hospital) alert the local media of your needs. This allows others in the community to contribute.
As you begin to gather books for your mass release, consider making special labels and journal entries for the books. Explain BookCrossing to the Finders and let them know how many people made it possible for them to have that book. Of course, a Finder could read more information on the site, but conveying your enthusiasm in a journal entry would certainly encourage them to join or keep passing the book on. (See example at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/1143093)
When the books begin to pile up, it is time to start a spreadsheet. With a large number of BCIDs, titles, donating BookCrossers, and local contributors – a spreadsheet is essential! If your release will cover a number of release locations and/or a number of days, add a column on your spreadsheet for locations and date. This way, all your information will be easily accessible and help you maintain order before and after the release.
If you are releasing a large number of books, consider releasing through BookCrossing prior to the event. This can save you a great deal of time. Another thing to keep in mind is the Release Alert setting. To spare local BookCrossers a deluge of email, consider making a general release location or use the event as the location. (For example “Seussentennial Celebration Mass Release”) With the aid of your spreadsheet, you can easily add detailed release information and photos later.
If you have decided to use a variety of release locations, there are several things you can do to save time and maintain order for the release. Pre-sort books (with the aid of your spreadsheet) into bundles with twine and string tags. Pre-assign release locations on the bundled books string tags and pencil in that information on your spreadsheet.
Prepare a Release Route from this information. Creating a release order saves time and resources. This can be done by dividing your chosen release area into sections. Sections can be assigned names or numbers.
Place this assigned information on all string tags and your spreadsheet. Larger quantities of books can easily be distributed in paper shopping bags with sturdy handles. (For example, Section 2 has four bundles of books. Each bundle is tagged with Section 2 and its assigned name: The Mall, Downtown, the Boardwalk, and the Park.) Remember to label everything and record everything in pencil on your spreadsheet.
If you have too many books to release, recruit Releasers. They do not have to be BookCrossers to be a part of the event, yet hopefully after they experience all the fun of releasing they will want to be! With multiple Releasers, give each a copy of their route (and copies of any maps they may need), a copy of the spreadsheet (this way they can make additional notes, especially if the pre-assigned release location has to be changed) and BookCrossing bookmarks. (Bookmarks can be purchased through the BC Supply Store.) Make sure each Releaser has a pencil, scissors (to remove twine), and a camera. Under the circumstances, a disposable camera works best. Most film processors can develop any type of film onto a CD for easy web uploading. Taking photos of each book may be difficult (costly and time-consuming), but general or stock photos for some entries work just as well. (See example at http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/735951)
Arrange to meet your fellow Releasers in a central area at an approximate time. Compare notes and release stories. While everyone is gathered, it may be prudent to visit a one hour photo and get the photos developed. This way the photos can be shared and the exact location can be mentioned (the release participant who took it will be able to know where it was).
After the event, begin editing all the release notes. Mention the general location the book was released and upload photos of the area or photos of the actual book being released. Also include any additional notes supplied by the Releasers which you feel should be included in the release notes.
Within a week of the release, follow-up with thank you cards. Let everyone who helped and contributed to your release know their efforts were greatly appreciated.
After everyone has been thanked, you can sit back, watch the wild catches pop-up in your email inbox, and begin to prepare for your next mass release!
