April is quickly becoming the month to celebrate books and reading, with campaigns here in the United States—including Poetry Month and #ProjectReadathon—and abroad—including UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day and Spain’s St. Jordi Day. Keep reading to learn more about how Penguin Random House is helping to drive the global conversation about books and reading this April, and how you can get involved and give back.
Introducing #ProjectReadathon Million Minutes Campaign
After two years celebrating National Readathon Day, which helped raise more than $100,000 to support literacy efforts throughout the United States, Penguin Random House is enhancing and expanding its annual celebration of books and reading: a new name, a new time, a new goal, and a new platform aimed at engaging with readers and empowering them to give back to children in need in local communities throughout North America—just by reading.
During the #ProjectReadathon campaign, from April 17–23, readers will be invited to contribute minutes to our Million Minutes goal by visiting the new reading platform ReadWell.PenguinRandomHouse.com, which gives users the chance to read free, timed excerpts from Penguin Random House authors and trigger book donations to children in need in the United States, Canada, and Mexico through Save the Children. The more you read, the bigger impact you have: read a twenty-minute excerpt and you will unlock a five-book donation; read for an hour and unlock twenty.
A Global Celebration
The campaign will culminate on Sunday, April 23, with global celebrations of books and reading in honor of #ProjectReadathon and Readathon Day (United States, Canada, Mexico), World Book Night (UK), St. Jordi Day (Spain), and UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day (worldwide). Our Penguin Random House colleagues will be celebrating and giving back locally around the globe, including in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the UK, and Spain.
Join the Conversation
Please join us for #ProjectReadathon by visiting ReadWell.PenguinRandomHouse.com to contribute your minutes, and by joining the conversation on social media using the hashtags #ProjectReadathon and #ReadWell, as we help drive a global conversation about books and reading. The #ReadWell hashtag will be used around the world to build bridges between campaigns and help readers discover celebrations everywhere. If you would like to get more involved, please contact Emily Condlin at econdlin@penguinrandomhouse.com to learn more.
We look forward to you joining us in making April the month of books and reading, and showing through #ProjectReadathon how the personal act of reading a book can have far-reaching social impact.
Emily Condlin is Director, Strategic Initiatives, Legal & Brand Communications for Penguin Random House.