Reading Partners

Reading Partners brings publishers and libraries together to create exciting events and activities for readers. The programme is going from strength to strength and publishers are building libraries into their marketing planning in new and exciting ways.

Download the Reading Partners' report 2008, which includes new information, statistics and other key achievements for libraries and the book trade.

Reader meets writer programme

A huge Reader Meets Writer programme including some of the UK's best-known authors and covering all of the 149 library authorities in England has been running since April. The programme has been created by Reading Partners and is part of the National Year of Reading.

50 high profile author events have been taking place in library venues across the country. Kate Mosse was in Lambeth, Derbyshire and Sutton; Hanif Kureishi appears in Leicester; Iain Banks in Gateshead, Alexander McCall Smith in Warwickshire, Mavis Cheek in Kent and Cumbria and Clare Francis in Brighton. To find out which big name authors were going to be where, and when, you can download the big name author event details.

Reaching Readers

Reaching Readers is an exciting initiative for Black and Minority Ethnic readers.

Our Reading Partners publishers have teamed up with public libraries on six projects in Birmingham, Leeds, Lewisham, Manchester, Newham and Norfolk. Together they will work on innovative projects to promote books and the joys of reading to a culturally diverse audience. Activities include work with reading groups, exciting book promotions to introduce more readers to books by British Black and Asian writers, and engaging author events. The projects will help publishers and libraries learn more about each other's work and to find out more about all aspects of BME reading and writing.

You can find information and sign-up to the Reading Partners e-letters. Latest edition now available.

Libraries and publishers working together

Libraries and publishers running joint events can use the libraries and publishers' planning form devised by Nicola Thomas and developed with several West Midlands libraries and Helen Johnstone of HarperCollins.