Donate Books is now in profit, and I have made my first cash donation to The Reader. The Reader is an organisation based here in Liverpool, in Calderstones Park. They are a national charity that uses the power of literature and ‘Shared Reading’ to improve well-being, reduce social isolation, and build stronger communities. They bring people together in diverse settings—including libraries, hospitals, and prisons—to read aloud and discuss stories and poems as a way to connect and live well. I am delighted that my first, modest donation has gone to this organisation.
It’s been a bit of a slog getting here, but it feels great to finally convert all that hard work into something positive. In the three months since I set-up this little social enterprise, I’ve had plenty of time (while lugging boxes of books around the city) to think about what it is I really want to do with Donate Books in the long term. I’ve been fortunate enough during my 55 years on the planet to have had, on several occasions, the unrivalled pleasure of turning the ‘book shy’ individual into an avid reader. And that’s what I want to do with Donate Books. But, more importantly, not simply with people who are uninterested in reading, but those who have genuine difficulty with reading.
The plan is to use the profits to establish a micro-publishing operation that will publish fiction aimed at supporting and encouraging emergent adult readers and, more specifically, adults facing literacy challenges. In essence, these books would be like any other on the shelf but would be carefully crafted and calibrated to meet the reader wherever they are on their reading journey, building confidence and skill without stigma.
It’s a long way off, but having a specific goal has really energised me, and I’m determined to take Donate Books from strength to strength.
