Advocating for books

Too often, the value of books goes unrecognised

Books are powerful. They transform how we see ourselves and see the world around us, and by supporting education they are at the heart of achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. 

Yet around the world, millions of people do not have access to the books they need.  

That’s why we collaborate with our partners, supporters and friends to raise awareness of the pressing need for books around the world and help our partners nurture a culture of reading in their own communities. 

Speaking up for books 

In everything we do we take every opportunity to highlight the power of books.  

When we are involved in discussions about reading, education and literacy we ensure that books are a key topic of conversation. And we use our event presences, including at The London Book Fair and Hay Literary Festival, to speak out about the need for books globally.   

We also publish the stories of readers and our partners to showcase the power of books, sharing their voices as widely as possible via our own channels and in the press.  

Supporting our partners

Our partners around the world are doing vital work in raising awareness of the importance of books in their communities. The carefully selected, high-quality books we provide and the inspirational reading spaces we work with our partners to create are tools in this important work, as they bring the power of books to life.    

We also provide grants to fund our partners’ reading promotion work each year, enabling them to run community events which raise the profile of books at a grassroots level and showcase the power of books to decision makers.