What is Teen Read Week, and How Can We Make the Most of It?

I had never heard of Teen Read Week before the lovely K. S. Brooks pointed it out to me. We have similar things in New Zealand, but on a much smaller scale. I once spoke at a local library during an event like this and it was awesome to chat with a bunch of teens about stories to do with their age group. They really got into it and asked the best questions.

As a reader, you’re always more likely to buy an authors book if you’ve had personal contact with them. Teen Read Week just might be your chance.

So – what is Teen Read Week?

Well, it’s brought to us by YALSA – Young Adult Library Services Association, and is basically this cool event that gets teens reading.

This year’s theme is: Seek the Unknown. So cool!! The event runs from Oct 13 – 19 and if you are a teen, have teens or write for teens, you should totally check it out.

Here’s the official description taken from the website:

YALSA’s 2013 Teen Read Week theme, Seek the Unknown, offers a fun and simple way to explore new experiences in your library! Use this event taking place from October 13 – 19, as a convenient opportunity to highlight what your library has to offer teens and their families, from best sellers to quirky special collections. Encourage your community’s teens to use your library to read books, magazines, audiobooks, e-books, graphic novels, and more for pleasure. Find easy-to-replicate ideas for programs, contests, recommended reading lists, and eye-catching displays with YALSA’s Teen Read Week Planning Manual. Teen Read Week is an initiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

And here’s the website so you can have a really good browse. There is a LOT to see.

http://teenreadweek.ning.com/

Of particular note for us authors is, this tab: http://teenreadweek.ning.com/page/authors

Here is an excellent opportunity for us to get involved, show case our stuff and encourage teens out there to read. Listed on this page are a bunch of really helpful suggestions for ways authors can get involved. Now, I don’t live in the States, so visiting schools and local libraries is not really on the cards for me, but I am talking to one of my Facebook groups about running a giveaway. Most of us write YA fiction and we are chatting about doing a massive push during Teen Read Week – see if we can’t create a little buzz around our books as well as promote this epic event.

One of the suggestions is to use the hashtag #TRW13 for tweeting. I thought that was brilliant, something so easy that could potentially catch the eye of many new readers to your work.

Teen readers are the best fans in my opinion. They are enthusiastic and passionate. If they like your stuff, they’ll promote you to the max.

It’s all about grasping the opportunities that come our way. I hugely encourage authors who write for teens to not let this event pass them by. You have a month to get yourself organised. Start braining storm some ideas and get your name out there.

Good luck and have fun during Teen Read Week.

Author: Melissa Pearl

Melissa Pearl is a Contributing Author for Indies Unlimited and author of multiple novels spanning a variety of genres, from YA fantasy and paranormal to romantic suspense, including award-winning novel, BETWIXT. For more on Melissa, visit her blog or her Amazon author page.

7 thoughts on “What is Teen Read Week, and How Can We Make the Most of It?”

  1. Melissa this is wonderful news for YA authors. Thank you for sharing this information, I think it is a great way to connect with the YA market. I just visited the site. There really are so many ways an author and the community can benefit by becoming involved. Great post!

  2. Thank you Melissa for this post. I’ve connected with loads of YA readers around cyberspace and was looking for opportunities to connect with readers locally. This is the exact information I need in my quest. Thanks a million!

  3. Thanks Melissa, this is great stuff. I’ll definitely find a way to get involved. Oh, and another good thing about the teen reader, if they like you, they’ll be with you for life!

Comments are closed.