World Book Night follow up

And so to Countesthorpe where Active Arts (www.activearts.org.uk) hosted a discussion about World Book Night, and various other bookish matters. I was pleased that the panel included Debbie James from the Kibworth Beauchamp bookshop as she has just agreed to be one of the judges for the next round of the East Midlands Book Award. After eighteen months of bookselling she and her shop are thriving. Though this was hardly its best attended meeting, Active Arts reflect the name and has booked our Dan Tunstall for a day's work in the local Countesthorpe College. He was a student at the College, though Active Arts did not know that at the time of the booking. The group appreciated this article http://www.leftlion.co.uk/articles.cfm/id/3497 by James Walker, about his experience of giving out books at World Book Night, some of which I read out. And I appreciated their cakes and company. Not only that, our bookstall takings at that small gathering were larger than the whole of our last month's sales to the Waterstone's chain! WBN, by the way, is booked for April 23 next year. Not sure of the format yet.