0 Blow a Book Bubble : A picture book exchange party

What is a Picture Book exchange party?

It is where book lovers exchange books among themselves as gifts.

What inspired this?

I have read about such exchange events in the blog world among enthusiasts in a similar area and wanted to facilitate one myself. 
I was part of a picture book exchange meet recently where participants could take back a book from what others have brought and the rest went for charity. I loved the enthusiasm with the kids themselves or the parents went back picking up their favourite one among the lot. 
Last but not the least, having met a lot of picture book enthusiasts who are always on the look out for books or book sales, this was a good gesture to do among them.

Though I am extremely possessive about my books, I have personally quite a few books that are not yet my daughter's age and wouldn't mind parting with it for a passionate book lover who would love to have it for their child. When am on books sales which have books at a throw away price, I end up picking up multiple copies for friends who would like to have it. This was a good way to pass on such books.

How does it work?

All those who are interested in being part of the event will need to register themselves using the form here. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1-TfdQD_pDteOpVtymXq2kF-TZdQAIYxrhjy5HaT3Rd0/viewform.

When you register, you agree to ship/hand over a book to one other participant and will also receive a book from someone else. We will make sure that every registered participant sends and receives a book. The book charges / shipping charges will have be borne by the sender. Try to keep the budget less than 300 INR. Exceptions to this budget is an individual choice and can be worked with the sender/receiver.

What books would I need to send?

You can send a new book. You can buy it at a book store/book sale/ ship it directly to the recipient's address through an online website like flipkart.com or amazon.in. 

You can also send an used book. I know we are all possessive about our books. But, if there is a book that your child has outgrown or your child is too young for and you are willing to part with it in exchange for something that you might get, sending an used book is an option too.

The book that is sent can be chosen in mutual agreement with the recipient depending on what the recipient might already have or what books are easily available to you to give away or to buy. If you can procure a recipient's wish list item, it would be the best thing. But, suit your convenience and ship whatever suits you best. Just only ensure that the recipient doesn't already have it.

How does the sender/ recipient work?

We will ensure that each participant has a sender and a recipient. If you have got any preferences on whom you would like to exchange for logistics of shipping reasons, do let us know. If you don't have a preference, we will choose a sender/recipient for you by keeping in mind the books that you wish to send/receive. The one who sends to you might be the same as the one who receives from you or you might be chosen to send to someone different from whom you receive from.

The fun lies in shipping it or receiving it from someone you haven't known before.

What do I do after receiving the book?

If you have a blog, you can blog about the book you received. Else, come to the Bubble Ink page to tell us how you liked the book. There will be badges to put up on your blog or FB profiles or FB timelines during the event.

When do I need to do this?

We are open for registrations till April 20,2014. The sender/receiver pairing will be announced before April 22^nd. The last day for shipping the books will be May 15. You can ship the book before that but no later than May 15 2014.

Who all can participate?

Any picture look lover who is willing to send one and receive one book can participate. We are currently restricting this to Indian residents keeping in mind the shipping costs. However, if an international participant is really interested, write to us, we will try our best to work out an exchange partner for you. If we get another participant from the same country you are in, we'll pair you up accordingly. If as a participant residing in India, you are willing to ship internationally, please let us know to facilitate the international participants.

Any questions please leave a comment here or write to bubbleink.writes@gmail.com