News

A little reading can go a long way. It can connect us to others, spark curiosity, boost our self-esteem and support our mental health. That’s why, this World Book Night, we are inviting you to join the Road to Reading. read more »

Take part in the #ReadingHour from 7pm on 23 April and join people across the UK in dedicating time to reading. read more »

We’re excited to announce that copies of the six upcoming Quick Reads 2024 titles will be gifted for World Book Night 2024. Taking place on 23 April 2024, World Book Night is aiming to create a nation of readers, with libraries across the UK applying to receive copies of life-changing Quick Reads... read more »

• The annual celebration of reading for pleasure returns this spring, honouring books and the difference they make to our wellbeing • Books by Joe Wicks, Jay Blades, Jojo Moyes, Bernardine Evaristo, Peter James, Agatha Christie & more to be gifted • Over 68,000 books distributed to prisons, h... read more »

World Book Night is fast approaching and we want YOU to get involved! Join us online on 10 March to hear about what you can do to take part in the celebration. These 30 minute webinars will share ideas and best practice with you to play a role in changing lives through reading. read more »

Our booklist is full of exciting, moving and thought-provoking books for adults and young people. We believe there’s something for everyone. But how do you find the right book for you? Nielsen BookData has created a book wall, featuring samples of many of the titles on our list. read more »

How do you choose what to read? We’ve separated the list out into categories to help you pick a book. Whether you like fast-paced thrillers, real life stories, or are looking for something to help you make positive changes to your life, now you can find your perfect book. read more »

We’re thrilled to announce the list of 27 titles that will feature as part of World Book Night 2023, the annual celebration which brings people from all over the country together to read more. read more »

The Reading Agency has found that a quarter (25.56%) of UK adults started reading more during lockdowns and have continued to as society reopens following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions. read more »

Find out how to join in the World Book Night celebrations on 23 April with including a hybrid celebration with Dr Alex George, Ayisha Malik, Dreda Say Mitchell, Lemn Sissay and host Bobby Seagull. read more »

We’re thrilled to offer an exclusive number of free audiobook downloads for World Book Night 2022. read more »

The Reading Agency has today announced the titles that will feature on the booklist for World Book Night 2022, its annual celebration bringing people of all backgrounds together to read more. read more »

The Reading Agency, in partnership with Specsavers, has revealed today that re-reading helps make people smile, with more than 1 in 3 readers (35%) finding happiness in re-reading books (including audiobooks), rising to 41% among young people (18-24). read more »

In 2021, we’re celebrating ten years of World Book Night. Since 2011, it has become a key moment in the calendar, bringing people across the UK and Ireland together to celebrate the proven power of reading. We caught up with Jamie Byng, World Book Night founder and CEO of Canongate, to share how ... read more »

What does your favourite author like to read? We asked a few of our World Book Night authors for their top recommendations – the books that make them smile, the books that inspire them and more. Head to our Bookshop.org affiliate page to see recommendations from Nina Stibbe, Mohsin Zaidi and Beth... read more »

The Reading Agency in partnership with Specsavers, is delighted to announce that writer, comedian, TV personality and literacy advocate Sandi Toksvig will be the lead ambassador for World Book Night 2021, as the full plans for the campaign are also unveiled. read more »

How are you going to spend your evening on 23 April? Join us from 6-9pm, in partnership with Specsavers and hosted by the British Library for two exciting free events and our special #ReadingHour. read more »

You’re invited to join in the World Book Day celebrations on 4 March! World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of books and reading, that aims to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. read more »

The Reading Agency, in partnership with Specsavers, has today announced the titles that will feature on the booklist for World Book Night 2021. The list is themed “Books To Make You Smile” in response to the impact of Covid-19 on mental health and wellbeing. read more »

With so many fantastic books on the World Book Night booklist, it can be difficult to know which titles to apply for or read first. Nielsen Book have created a book wall, featuring samples of all the titles donated by publishers that we believe will encourage everyone to get reading. read more »

The Reading Agency has today announced that “Books To Make You Smile” will be the theme of World Book Night 2021 (23 April), to mark the tenth year of the annual campaign celebrating the shared pleasure of reading. read more »

A nation in lockdown united last week on Shakespeare’s birthday, in celebration of books and reading, for The Reading Agency’s World Book Night. Pivoting to a digital format in light of Covid-19, the virtual celebration took place without the usual accompanying book giveaway – now tentatively sch... read more »

The Reading Agency has revealed that the nation is reading more during lockdown with 1 in 3 adults reading more, rising to almost one in two (45%) 18-24 year olds. read more »

While bookshops and libraries are closed, we know that many people are wondering where they can get new books to read. We’re here to help with some suggestions for buying and borrowing print and digital books. read more »

The Reading Agency has announced that the UK’s World Book Night celebrations, to be held on Thursday 23rd April 2020, will be digital as plans are modified due to Covid-19. read more »

Registration has now CLOSED for you to receive a free audiobook as part of World Book Night 2020. read more »

Are you looking at the World Book Night 2020 booklist but don’t know where to start? Nielsen Book have created a book wall, featuring samples of all the titles donated by publishers that we believe will encourage everyone to get reading. read more »

The Reading Agency today announces the titles that will feature on the World Book Night 2020 booklist. World Book Night is the annual celebration of reading on 23 April aiming to inspire everyone to share books and reading, whether they are less confident or passionate readers. It is a key part o... read more »

A new survey from The Reading Agency has revealed that smartphone habits are preventing individuals from reading books, with 66% saying that they would read more if they spent less time scrolling. 55% of all adults and 72% of young people admit they lack sufficient self-control because they can’t... read more »

Mahsuda Snaith tells us about the role books have played in her life, and her journey from being a World Book Night recipient to having her debut novel gifted all over the country. read more »

We are excited to announce that for the first time, an audiobook will be available to download on World Book Night 2019. read more »

Once again, our friends over at Nielsen Book have created a World Book Night book wall, showcasing the 23 brilliant books donated by publishers and which will be distributed in organisations including prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters to people who don’t re... read more »

The Reading Agency today announces the list of books to be given away on World Book Night, 23 April 2019. The varied titles, donated by publishers large and small including Penguin Random House, Canongate and Jessica Kingsley Publishers, include a diverse selection of commercial and literary fict... read more »

Our new research, commissioned to mark World Book Night (23 April) shows that many of us think you should never give up on a book. read more »

Our friends over at Nielsen Book have created a World Book Night book wall, showcasing the 23 brilliant books donated by publishers and which will be distributed in organisations including prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters to people who don’t regularly read... read more »

The Reading Agency today announces the list of books to be given away on World Book Night, 23 April 2018. The varied titles, donated by publishers from Penguin Random House and Hachette to small presses Nine Arches and Cassava Republic, include a diverse selection of commercial and literary ficti... read more »

Edinburgh University’s Raising and Giving (RAG) team have raised over £1,500 for World Book Night through a ‘library fines week’ in conjunction with the university library. read more »

World Book Night is our annual celebration of reading and books that takes place on 23 April. The 2017 event saw thousands of books given out in organisations such as prisons, libraries, colleges, hospitals, care homes and homeless shelters, as well as by passionate individuals in their communities. read more »

Author Vaseem Khan blogs on why initiatives such as World Book Night are so important. read more »

Our survey, commissioned to mark World Book Night on Sunday 23 April, suggests huge numbers of us are hankering after more reading time. read more »

Please join our Thunderclap to post a message of support for World Book Night on 23 April! read more »

World Book Night 2017 launches today and is heading in an exciting new direction. We’ve listened carefully to feedback and are changing the way we do things in order to ensure our books are reaching the people who need them most. read more »

This year’s event saw thousands of book lovers give out titles in their communities; local events taking place up and down the country; and a fantastic gala event at the British Library. Find out how the day unfolded in our Storify. read more »

It’s World Book Night! Thousands of free books are being given across the UK to people who don’t regularly read. Find out more about what’s going on. read more »

This year publishers will be giving out copies of their own stock on 22 April within their neighbourhoods. read more »

See a stellar panel of authors discussing the role of books in their lives, at our flagship World Book Night event in London. read more »

We want to offer new readers some great ideas from expert library staff about what to read next once they’ve finished their World Book Night book – give us your recommendations! read more »

World Book Night 2016 officially kicks off today in the UK and Ireland with the announcement of the 15 titles to be given away in 2016. This year sees a sensational and diverse line up of crime, poetry, non-fiction, Quick Reads, YA, historical fiction, and fiction in translation celebrating the e... read more »

If you’re feeling in need of a bit of a boost, what do you do to cheer yourself up? If a friend was feeling down, what would you do to give them a lift? What about a lovely mood-boosting book? As committed reading champions, you will know better than most the benefits and joys of a good book, and... read more »

Are you in a reading group? Whether you meet at home, in a bookshop, in a library or in the pub, we want to know more about you, what you like to read and what makes you tick. We’re running a survey through our national network Reading Groups for Everyone to find out about great reading groups a... read more »

The celebratory nature of World Book Night and the delight at receiving a free book has had an overwhelmingly positive impact on recipients this year, with 98% of them reporting that they were pleased to receive their book and many reporting a shift in their attitudes towards reading. The finding... read more »

Not signed up to our mailing list? Sign up now for the chance to win an official World Book Night tote bag crammed full of World Book Night archive goodies! read more »

On Thursday 23 April 2015, thousands of passionate book lovers, authors, libraries, bookshops, prisons, hospitals and schools across the UK shared their love of reading on World Book Night, our annual celebration of the written word. read more »

UPDATE: IRVINE WELSH TO APPEAR AT WORLD BOOK NIGHT! * We’re happy to announce that tickets for our World Book Night flagship event on 23 April are now on sale. There are also events taking place in local libraries across the country. read more »

Tweet us for the chance to win copies of our 20 World Book Night titles! This year we’re asking authors to tell us about their reading journey; about the book that first turned them on to reading, the books that they have been inspired by along the way and how reading has shaped them. We’re also ... read more »

The Reading Agency invites tenders for a qualitative evaluation of World Book Night 2015. The evaluation will investigate whether receiving a World Book Night book has impacted on the reading habits of recipients who do not usually read for pleasure. This invitation to tender sets out the backgro... read more »

As the deadline for applications to give out editions of our books draws near (you have until 30 January to get yours in here!), we wanted to share some wonderful comments on World Book Night from the authors of the brilliant books on our list. read more »

With just three weeks to go until applications to become a World Book Night volunteer for 2015 close, we’ve had well over 7000 entries and expect many thousands more before January 30th. In the mean time and to inspire those of you who are yet to apply, we wanted to share some of the brilliant, i... read more »

We’re excited to let you know that we now have a range of limited edition products available to make your World Book Night even more special. They include a beautiful, sturdy canvas bag for transporting your books (or your shopping), and an elegant Knotpaper, a reusable fabric square to wrap them... read more »

On #GivingTuesday, 2 December we announced our 20 titles for 2015 and opened volunteer applications. We were delighted to receive a really positive response from authors, publishers, the press and the public, and had over 3,000 applications to become a volunteer in the first 24 hours! read more »

We’re delighted to announce our 20 titles for World Book Night 2015 and open volunteer applications for this annual celebration of reading and books on 23 April! read more »

Another fantastic World Book Night took place on 23 April 2014. Givers, receivers, libraries, book shops and arts centres have been sharing their World Book Night stories. read more »

To celebrate last year’s World Book Night, we spoke to Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting and all round literary legend about his reading habits, his lifelong love for libraries and which book he’d choose to give away… read more »

Planning for World Book Night 2015 is underway. We’re very excited to be curating another brilliant list of books to inspire readers and non-readers alike, and our editorial committee will meet later in the month. read more »