World Book Day March 3: Send Postcards

Eight million postcards will come tumbling out of virtually every publication in Britain until World Book Day on March 3, 2005. This will enable one in seven people in the British population to recommend a book to a friend.

Organizers of World Book Day said their reason for the postcards and consequent mission is to raise awareness of reading, book buying, and book borrowing. They are harnessing the power of recommendation and focusing on a single day. Over 90% of leisure purchases are influenced by word of mouth, with books being one of the main acquisitions.

Many book successes have been those with reputations that spread by word of mouth. Recent examples are Dan Brown’s, Da Vinci Code and Lynne Truss’s, Eats, Shoots, andLeaves. Eight million postcards are bound to get those book sales soaring.