We've compiled answers to the questions we get asked most often below. Just click on the menu item in the list below and find your answer!

We're receiving a high number of emails at the moment so please do check if the answer to your question is below before contacting us. If it's not please just email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. clearly stating what your issue is regarding.

If you're looking for World Book Night US please click here.

Thank you.

Questions if you're a World Book Night Giver

If you applied as a Giver and haven't received your book collection email please get in touch via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Questions about your Application
Questions about changing your personal details
Questions about being a Giver
Questions about choosing your collection point
Questions about collecting your books

Questions about being a World Book Night collection point

General Questions about World Book Night

Questions About World Book Night
Questions About World Book Night Internationally
Questions About the Website

Questions about your application

Q. I can’t remember what I wrote in my application, how do I see it?
We sent you a confirmation email containing all the details of your application. Please check your inbox for an email from This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . If it isn’t in there please check your junk email folder and add us to your address book for future communication. We’re sorry but we are not able to send it to you again.

Q. I intend to give my books away somewhere else, should I inform you?
When you submitted your application you agreed to our terms and conditions including that you will commit to giving your books to non-regular readers. So long as you still adhere to these terms we are happy for you to change where you would like to give your books and do not need to be informed.

Q. My application has been rejected, why?
Applications are rejected when it is clear to us that our books will not be reaching our target audience. Anyone who applied to give their books to regular readers such as members of established book clubs, reading groups, creative writing groups or literature students will have been unsuccessful in their application.

Q. I've not heard from you about my application
All UK & Ireland givers were informed whether they were successful or not on Saturday 23 February. Please check your spam or junk folders and if you haven't heard from us but definitely applied please email us forwarding your application confirmation email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Q. The book you have allocated me was not my first choice, can I change it?
We’re afraid that it is not possible for us to change your book choice once it has been allocated. If you don’t wish to give the book we have allocated you, you can withdraw by unsubscribing from our emails.  

Q. Your email told me the book I've been allocated was my first choice but I don't think it was. Can I have my first choice?
We're sorry but no book choices can be changed. If there was a mistake in your book allocation this would have been due to a keying error rather than the book you have been assigned and so we cannot change it now.

Q. How do you pick the givers?
At WBN we're committed to a wide geographic reach of givers across the UK but our core objective is to ensure that the WBN books reach non or light readers. Givers will be chosen first based on their commitment to give books to non or light readers and the answers to the questions to where, who and why, then geographic location will be taken in to account.
Though we are looking for 20,000 givers we are only looking for 1000 givers per book. Inevitably some books end up being oversubscribed and this is why many givers were disappointed last year. It's important that you carefully consider all three of your choices to give yourself the best possible chance of being chosen. Unfortunately we're not able to say which books are most heavily subscribed. Finally, all applications are date stamped so after all other factors have been considered we'll be taking when applications were submitted in to account.

Q. I haven't got the book I wanted, can I change it?
We're afraid not. We've matched as many people as possible with one of their book choices. However some books were very oversubscribed. People who chose oversubscribed books but had not read them have been allocated different choices so that the most passionate advocates for those books can give them and in cases where people have chosen three oversubscribed books it has sometimes been impossible to allocate one of the choices so an alternative has been chosen.

Q. What happens once I've been selected?
You'll know this if you've received emails from us! Some spam filters won't let our emails through, some email addresses are wrong, sometimes people accidentally unsubscribe then don't know why they're not hearing from us - if you think you've signed up as a giver but haven't heard from us recently please get in touch immediately.

Questions about changing your personal details

Q. My email address has changed since submitting my application, how do I let you know?
Please email us ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ) with both the email address you applied with and your change of email and we will update our records.

Questions about being a giver

Q. How many books do I get to give away?
Each giver gets 20 copies of the book that they’ve been allocated

Q. Wasn’t it more last year?
Yes. In 2012 each giver got 24 copies but the feedback from givers and stakeholders was that it was too many books. Some givers did say that they could have given away more but we hope that this year, our institutional application system satisfied the demands for books from these people.

Q. So, 20 books x 20,000 people only equals 400,000. What happens to the other books?
This year we launched our institutional application system where institutions such as prisons and young offenders institutes, hospitals, care homes, sheltered and supported housing, libraries could apply directly to us for books. This has proved extremely popular and we were massively oversubscribed so we have had to make efforts to share the books as fairly as we could.

Q. I applied from an institution and have received fewer books than I was expecting, why?
This is the first year that we have enabled institutions to apply directly to us for books. In the end more than 5 times as many books as we have available were applied for and so we were faced with either rejecting large numbers of applicants or allocating fewer books to more institutions so we chose to do the later. We’re sorry for any frustration this may have caused but we do have a limited number of books felt it was better to get fewer books to more people than to limit the number of beneficiaries of World Book Night.

Q. Do I have to give my books away on April 23?
We ask that books be given away on or around April 23. If there is an event taking place (whether specially organised or something like a football match) either the few days before or after that you wish to give your books away at then that’s fine but we ask that giving which can be done on April 23 is.

Q. I’m excited but also nervous about giving my books away, can you give me any advice?
Please see our information for givers page for tips and advice on being a giver. There are also resources to help you make the whole process go as smoothly and enjoyably as possible and we've been posting stories from last year's Givers on our blog

Questions about collecting your books

Q. When will my books be ready for collection?
Your books will be delivered from our warehouse to your chosen collection point in the week commencing 15 April. We will email you when they are ready for collection. We’re afraid that we can’t arrange for individual books to be delivered any earlier or to different locations

Q. What’s the latest I can collect my books?
If you don’t collect your books by 5pm on April 23 we cannot guarantee that they’ll continue to be available for collection. We are advising all collection points that any uncollected books after this time can be distributed by them. If there is a reason you can’t collect your books before this time please get directly in touch with your collection point. This year we will be registering the names of those who haven’t collected their books and this may affect your chance of being a giver in future years.

Q. What will my books be delivered in?
All sets of books are delivered in individual boxes. They have labels with your name and book choice but no other personal information. The sizes of the boxes vary slightly depending on the length of the book but will never be any bigger than 53cm long x 41cm wide x 15cm high. Each box can be easily carried by an able bodied adult. Please contact your collection point if you wish to enquire about nearby parking; many may also be able to offer you bags to help you easily carry the books.

Q. What will the books look like?
The World Book Night books are specially printed editions featuring a photograph of the regular paperback edition as their front cover. As well as the book’s content they feature some information about World Book Night, a special book plate page at the beginning and a short extract of another book chosen by the author at the end. Each book also includes a poem chosen by the Josephine Hart Poetry Foundation.

Q. Last year I received unique identifying numbers for each of my books. Why haven't I received them this year?
In 2011 and 2012 we asked WBN Givers to write unique codes in each of the books which would enable them to be tracked. We've not done this for 2013. The main reason behind this is that, if the books are reaching the right people, people who don't regularly read, then we don't want them to feel like they have to pass the book on. We want them to read it and love it and keep it forever, not feel bad that they've not given it to someone else. So whilst many givers really liked the idea of tracking their book it didn't ultimately work for the people for whom World Book Night is aimed, those receiving the books who haven't fallen in love with reading, yet.

Questions about being a World Book Night collection point

Q. I am a registered collection point and need some more information about what to expect
Please visit our information for bookshops and libraries page and if you can’t find the answer to your query there, libraries please email the Reading Agency via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and bookshops email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Q. I would like to register as a collection point for this year but have missed the deadline. Can I register now?
No, we’re very sorry but we are no longer able to register anymore book shops and libraries as our givers have already begun selecting their chosen locations. If you would like more information on registering for next year please visit our website - information for bookshops and libraries

Q. Even if I'm not a collection point can I still feature on your map?
We're sorry but the map is only for the bookshops and libraries who support us by being collection points.

Questions about events

Q. How do I find out if there are any events going on in my area?
You can look at our events map

Q. Where is the flagship event this year?
We have two major flagship events this year in Liverpool and London and World Book Night authors will also be appearing in flagship library event in Edinburgh and Cambridge. More information here.

Q. I want to host an event for World Book Night, do you have any tips or resources?
Tips and ideas for events are available on our events pages.

 Questions About World Book Night:

Please visit our About Us section for lots more information

Q. What is World Book Night?
A. World Book Night Ltd is a charity dedicated to the promotion of literacy and the celebration, sharing and enjoyment of reading amongst teenagers and adults. The first World Book Night was held in the UK in 2011. In 2012 World Book Night was celebrated in the UK, Ireland, Germany and the USA on April 23 and saw tens of thousands of givers share the joy and love of reading with millions of people who don't regularly read.

To find out more about WBN please visit our What is World Book NIght? page

Q. No I mean what happens on the night?
On April 23 20,000 passionate volunteers in the UK & Ireland gift half a million books specially chosen and produced books in their community to those who don't regularly read and there are hundreds of events celebrating books across the country.

Q. Why April 23?
A. April 23 is the UNESCO International Day of the Book, chosen in honour of Shakespeare and Cervantes who both died on April 23 1616 (and it was also -- probably -- Shakespeare's birthday).

In the UK World Book Day is an initiative to encourage children to read and engage with books and it is celebrated on the first Thursday of March each year. When World Book Day was first launched 15 years ago April 23 was chosen as the date but the shifting Easter holiday meant that it regularly fell within the school breaks and so the celebration date was moved to March to enable schoold to celebrate World Book Day as effectively as possible.

Q. What are givers, and what do they do?
A. Givers are volunteers who are passionate about reading and have signed up to give copies of a certain book on or around April 23 to those who don't regularly read within their communities. Givers collect the books they've been allocated from their local participating bookshop or library in the week before World Book Night.

Q. How can you call it World Book Night when it's only happening in a few countries?
A. World Book Night is named as a result of World Book Day. We'd like to see if happen in as many countries as possible around the world but that's not possible over night. For more information about World Book Night internationally click here. And just because your country doesn't have a formal World Book Night structure it doesn't have to stop you celebrating the day by giving books. The idea of giving books on April 23 started in Barcelona to celebrate San Jordi day and the tradition sees all men giving their ladies a rose and all ladies returning the gift of a book (we think the men get the better half of the deal).

Q. How do I get involved?
A. You can celebrate books - read them, give them, buy them. You can attend events, become a library member, tell your local bookshop you love them. But most of all tell everyone you know that you're a reader, you love books and are proud to tell the world!

Q. How do you choose the books?
A. You can find the answer here

Q. Why are there only 20 titles on the list? Why do givers only get 20 copies to give away and why, overall, are there less books?
A. The reasons why we're only featuring 20 titles and givers are only getting 20 copies are the same - accessibility. Though the majority of our givers thought the 2012 numbers were just right, we had lots of feedback from those who didn't apply saying they were daunted by the list length and the quantity of titles. So we reduced both slightly. The added bonus is that it's easier to remember for everyone to. 20 titles, 20 copies, 20,000 givers. That means, in total, givers are giving 400,000 copies and there are another 100,000 available for institutions like prisons. This is fewer than in previous years and is a figure that we've settled on after consultation with a huge variety of stakeholders. It's the rough equivalent of a single days book sales in the UK and is practically a more manageable number to handle for all parties.

Q. I'm a bookseller or librarian, how do I find out more information?
A. Please look at our page of information for bookshops and libraries and if you have any other queries get in touch with the Booksellers' Association, Reading Agency or us.

Q. Does World Book Night work? Don't you just give free books to people who already read? Don't free books just devalue books?
A. In short, yes, no and no. We answer all these questions in a lot more detail and more in our 2012 evaluation.

Questions About World Book Night Internationally

Q. How do I find out more about WBN in the USA?
A. Just visit the international section of our site here

Q. Is World Book Night going to happen in any other countries? How do I get WBN to happen in my country?
A. Making World Book Night happen takes commitment and passion from across the reading industry. We've been in discussion with a variety of potential international partners and hope that as WBN develops it will expand to other countries. We're always pleased to hear from people who wish WBN could happen in their country but it's vital to have strong committed leading partners in the trade in order to make WBN happen.

If you have a specific query about World Book Night USA please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Questions about the Website

Q. I used to be able to login to the site. Why can't I do that now?
A. When we originally launched WBN we wanted it to be as interactive as possible. But we now know that many of our users never used this functionality or found it confusing or frustrating. To offer all users the best possible experience we've reverted to a much simpler site. If you want to interact please use our facebook or twitter