International Read an Ebook Day is organized and curated by OverDrive, one of top destinations for ebook lovers.
The company is the leading distributor of digital content, including ebooks, audiobooks, music, and movies.
The company cooperates with over 30,000 libraries and schools in more than 40 countries and offers over 2 million digital titles. Chances are there’s a library near you.
But Read and Ebook Day is not only about getting interested in ebooks and all the benefits they offer.
Read an eBook Day is a celebration of modern storytelling. Be a part of the festivities by checking your favorite eBook out from the library, sharing your reading stories, entering to win prizes or just simply setting aside some time to read.
It’s only a day, and the holiday hype is mostly about sharing ebook love with your friends!
Here is a list of proposed activities to choose from. Happy #eBookLove!
10 ways to celebrate Read an Ebook Day
1. Visit the official Read an Ebook Day page and share your story
It doesn’t cost a penny to start reading ebooks. Just the opposite. You can borrow ebooks just like you borrow print books.
On the official page of Read an Ebook Day, at readanebookday.com, you’ll not only learn how to start reading ebooks in minutes. OverDrive has prepared a list of recommended reads in six genres.
Most importantly, you can also share your own story: what book are you reading, which book quote do you especially like, do you have an author or genre you can’t get enough of?
Share your story on Read an Ebook Day page or in social media, using the tag #eBookLove.
Bonnie Shaw wrote:
I love reading so much, whether it’s a physical or digital copy. Today I will be reading an ARC of Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano.
What is your story?
2. Share the love in social media – use #eBookLove hashtag
Every day, many people share their experience with electronic books, what do they struggle with, would they improve, or simply share a sheer love.
There is no better day to do that than today. Make sure to use the hashtag #eBookLove on Twitter or Facebook.
Follow Overdrive on Twitter at @OverDriveLibs and on Facebook at OverDrive for Libraries.
3. Find out whether your library offers ebooks
While most of the celebrations happen online, you can also visit your library and find out whether ebooks are already offered.
If they are, you can learn how to borrow and return them without leaving home.
Visiting a library, and saying hello to a librarian, is good also because September is Library Card Sign-up Month.
4. Get a free reading app for a computer, tablet, or smartphone
Many people still assume they need to have a dedicated device for ebooks. They wait until prices go down.
In fact, you don’t have to wait any minute longer. You can start reading ebooks in minutes. All you have to do is to download a free application.
There are OverDrive apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone. They will let you read ebooks, listen to audiobooks, and even watch videos.
On every mobile platform, not only iOS or Android, there are a plenty of other free ebook reading apps to explore. And your smartphone is good enough to read them.
5. Read an ebook right now in your browser
You don’t even need a special app to start enjoying ebooks. You are most probably reading this post in a browser like Chrome, Safari, or Firefox. It’s enough to start reading ebooks this way!
We have a detailed list of sites where you can read ebooks online – why not exploring it right away?
6. Explore ebook catalogs in major online stores
Many users complain that there are not enough good books in electronic format. Well, this is changing fast.
If you had checked the offer months ago, you might be surprised how many good titles have been published in ebook format ever since.
Go to Amazon Kindle Store, Barnes & Noble’s Nook Store or Kobo and start browsing for titles you’d like to read.
7. Find what’s on top of ebook bestsellers lists
If you want to have a really quick overview of the best ebook titles, you can find out which ebooks are now the absolute bestsellers.
Go and check out the most prestigious ebook bestseller lists curated by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
8. Give a try to self-published books
Self-publishing is a true phenomenon of the book industry. Many authors use possibilities digital publishing gives and launch ebooks at no or little cost.
The books usually cost few dollars. One of the top destinations for self-published books is Smashwords, but you can find these books in all major ebookstores.
9. Quickly learn ebook-specific terms and phrases
If you worry you’ll have to learn too much to start using ebooks at all, just make things easier in one go.
Check out this simple glossary of terms related to ebooks and digital publishing. You’ll quickly find answers to what e-ink or ebook DRM or enhanced ebook is.
10. See how other readers love ebooks
And if your major reason not to embrace ebooks is that you can’t imagine yourself loving them, just look at these incredible pictures.
I hope the list was not too long and the activities not too complicated. Read an Ebook Day is a perfect time to share – or find – the love for ebooks.
