A lot of us do/have done NaNoWriMo. A lot of us like to read but I've also heard a lot of grumbling about TBR (to be read) piles building, not having the time to read, etc.What about something like a NaNoReaMo? One month out of the year where we do nothing but read. Fantasy, romance, non-fiction, wouldn't matter, but the point would be to put down the pencils, step away from the keyboard, and clear out some of the book backlog.
One of the things said often about writing is that you can't stay on top of trends and learn and grow if you're not reading. In the genre, out of the genre, whatever. So. Why don't we have something like this in place?Of course, it wouldn't be limited to writers. Anyone who wants and likes to read could join in. And in fantasy land, Borders and/or Barnes and Noble or publishers would sign on to donate, oh. Gift cards. Discount club subscriptions. Book bundles, etc. For the top finishers or people who made a specific goal within the month or ... something.
I did a poll about this on my livejournal and realized that I should really open the poll up, as I don't have *that* many readers. So, a few questions:
1. If you are interested in NaNoReaMo, what month of the year would be best for you? (The current poll has July and August as favorites, but choose the month that works best for you.)
2. What sort of rewards would you want for signing on?
- Gift cards/certificates?
- Books?
- Discount memberships or subscriptions?
3. How would you suggest reading totals are tallied?
- By number of words read?
- By number of pages read?
- By number of books read?
4. Who would you like to get prizes from?
- Bookstores?
- Publishers?
- Authors?
If you have other suggestions or comments, feel free to post them here.
Please also feel free to spread this around and have people chime in. The more information I can gather, the more I can take to publishing houses, etc.
Thanks for your help and opinions!
5 comments:
1. What month?
August would probably be best with Conference in July. Just a thought for the folks who will be going. I don't have a preference for any other time really. Oh, and nothing from mid-October to mid-January.
2. If rewards are possible, maybe more books. Maybe a small icon .gif like the NaNo folks do for sites. Participating, and their final count if they reach their goal. (There should probably be a minimal goal too for whatever category is used.) Just tossing out ideas here.
3. Number of words might be hard to calculate for a reader who isn't a writer. Maybe just books, like the reader month they had back in elementary school. Any length since everyone reads at different speeds and at different times. Second choice would be pages. The reader would have to keep track a little better, that's all.
4. Prizes could be donated from the authors, but should probably come from a publisher, so more can benefit.
JMO, HTH.
Argh!
I'll try this again.
AUgust would be fine.
Books would be great rewards. Or book marks, book plates, author giveaways, oh, and did I mention books?
Number of pages would keep the playing field more even, IMHO.
Prizes could be donated from the publishers. Heck, we're buying their books, they should kick in a little!
1. what month of the year would be best for you?
July's good, with conference I hear not a lot of writing gets done anyway ;)
2. What sort of rewards would you want for signing on?
* Gift cards/certificates?
* Books?
Either one. Books are good. 'money' is better cuz I can pick the books ;)
3. How would you suggest reading totals are tallied?
I'm not sure there's a fair answer to that. Perhaps there could be a set of prizes for each however-many pages...but slower readers shouldn't be penalized, if that makes sense. Perhaps awards for those who read outside their usual genre. Or for the 'number of hours read'.
4. Who would you like to get prizes from?
* Bookstores?
* Publishers?
* Authors?
Yes :)
I like July. It is in the middle of the summer and I can picture myself on the beach reading a book. (I work in education so I go back to work in August.)
I think the number of pages would be more equal but the number of books would be so much easier to keep up with. I usually read 2-5 books a week anyway.
Any kind of incentive would work for me. I like the idea of getting something small, like a bookmark or discount coupon, just for signing up. Larger prizes would be good for those that finished and turned everything in. I think publishers and stores should kick in the prizes as long as authors agree to promo the publishers and stores.
This would also lend itself to signings and readings in bookstores or libraries. Authors could invite/challenge readers to sign up through their webites and promo their own words. Just food for thought...
Apparantly my first comment was totally erased. You just have to love this new modern age.
I think July is the best month.
I think that bookstores and publishers should provide the prizes. Authors should commit to promo those bookstores and publishers.
It would be nice if a small gift, like a book mark and maybe discount coupons, was given at signup.
I think keeping track of books would be easiest.
This is a great opportunity for authors. We could have readers sign up from our websites and then offer book signings or even readings at the library or local bookstores.
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