One of the most exciting things we do at Reading Groups for Everyone is give groups across the UK the opportunity to receive sets of books from publishers or book prizes to read and review through our noticeboard. That’s right, your group will receive book for free, and all you need to do is send back reviews to us. This is a brilliant way of getting new books for your group members to keep, to try something new or different, and often to get books before they’ve even been published!
How do groups get selected? There are generally a limited number of sets of books available, so your group needs to apply to receive them. We work closely with the publishers and prizes who provide the books to select the groups so that they can hear your thoughts. Here are our top tips to improve your chances of being selected:
1. Market yourselves. What makes your group stand out from others?
2. Tell us who you are. How did your group come together? Are you old friends, colleagues, or family? Give us a sense of the makeup of your group members, as this is a group application, not just one person’s. We want to have a range of different types of groups participating in each offer, so the more we can learn about you, the more likely you are to be selected.
3. Why is your group interested in this book? Is it a genre or author you know, or something new you’d like to try? Why do you want to discuss it together? We’re looking for applications where your group’s excitement shines through and where we can see that you’ll hopefully enjoy the book!
4. Does your group use social media? This isn’t essential, so don’t worry if none of your members use Twitter or Instagram, but it can help you to stand out as publishers are often looking for groups who can share their reviews and thoughts online.
We know that some groups get excited about lots of offers on our website and applying for each one can be time consuming. You’re welcome to use similar information in each application, but make sure to personalise each one and tell us what it is about that specific book you like.
Good luck!
