JOURNAL
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A bookish mail swap
UPDATE 22 February 2020: this swap is now closed. If you want to be sure you’ll hear about future swaps and similar activities, scroll to the bottom of this post to subscribe to my blog.
In addition to this, I have just reopened my popular letter-writing and mail-art e-course, The Most Beautiful Letter You’ve Ever Written, to new students, including a private community where I host frequent swaps and other mail-related projects. More information is available via the link above, and I’d love to see you there!
During the past few weeks I’ve been finalising updates and additions to my online letter-writing course, The Most Beautiful Letter You’ve Ever Written. I’ve created a whole new module, in addition to what’s already there, dedicated to “play,” the idea of games and activities that people like to do through the post.
One of the most simple but often wonderfully rewarding of these games is to participate in a mail swap. The idea of a mail swap is pretty straightforward: you are assigned a “swap partner,” and you each sends a letter or small parcel to the other. Often, these swaps are themed. Maybe you’re encouraged to send each other tea, for example, or stickers, or pressed flowers.
A swap is a lovely way of sharing something beautiful with someone else by post, and receiving something lovely back… often from other parts of the country or even the world, bringing you tiny insights into your swap partner’s life and where they live.
(I also like swaps because they don’t come with the obligation of an ongoing pen-pal relationship. It’s true that sometimes swap partners choose to continue writing to one another, but that’s not the official aim of the game. You’re only signing up for a straightforward swap so if you love the idea of snail mail but are too short on time to have a pen pal, this is a lovely compromise.)
Let’s swap some lovely mail!
All this talking about the joys of mail swap inspired me to host one of my own, just for fun.
For this swap, I’ve decided to channel the snail-mail version of getting lost in a second-hand bookshop: one that is stacked with towering, floor-to-ceiling shelves that are crammed with stories just waiting to be discovered. The thrill of an unexpected literary find at a garage sale or weekend market. The joy of trawling the bouquinistes that line the Seine in Paris for literary treasure. An entire afternoon lost in an un-put-downable adventure.
The smell of old books.
If you’d like to swap a beloved old book with a stranger, by mail, read on to learn how to participate. There is no fee to join in, no limits to the number of people involved, and you won’t have to subscribe to anything. Just be sure you read and agree to the terms and conditions, so we can keep this a fun and rewarding experience for everyone.
What we are swapping
A second-hand book! This might be one from your shelves, or one you find at a second-hand bookstore, garage sale, thrift market, or at a free book-swap library
Choose a book that you have already read and enjoyed, or if you really can’t find one, choose something that you would love to read for yourself (if you weren’t posting it on)
In the lovely tradition of book-giving, write a dedication inside the book. Something along the lines of “To [swap partner’s name] from [your name], I hope you enjoy this story of [something you like about the book].” Then add in the date, your city and your country
This is a very simple swap, and there is no expectation that you add in anything extra. Personally I think a little note to your swap partner could be nice, but that’s up to you! Likewise if you like to decorate your mail feel free to go ahead, but it’s not a requirement
How it works
Register for the swap using the form at the bottom of this page. You’ll be asked to agree to some conditions around respecting people’s privacy, particularly in relation to never sharing postal addresses, and ensuring your correspondence is respectful. All participants must be 18 or over (otherwise it’s too tricky for people to choose appropriate books)
You’ll also be asked to share your name and postal address, which I will give to your swap partner but nobody else. If you have concerns about privacy, consider using a friend’s PO Box, a work address, or some other public address where you can pick up your mail
I’ll send you the name and address of your swap partner. As this is an international swap, that person may live on the other side of the world or two streets over - it’s all part of the lovely lottery of writing to strangers. (You may want to factor the international nature of this swap in to your choice of books as well - a heavy hardcover book will be a lot more expensive to post than a thin paperback)
Once you receive your swap partner’s name and address, simply write your inscription inside the book you’ve chosen, and post it off to them within the timeframes outlined below
Key swap dates
Registrations: registrations to join in the bookish mail swap open today (Tuesday 18 February, 2020) and will close on Saturday 22 February, 2020
Swap partners received: I’ll send you your swap partner’s name and address on Monday 24 February, 2020
Postage deadline: please post your parcel on or before Monday 2 March, 2020*
The reason for these tight timeframes is because, while we all start out with the best intentions in the world, life gets busy, and far away deadlines become all too easy to put off, and then forget. If you forget to post your parcel, your swap partner gets nothing (likewise if they forget to post their parcel, you get nothing). Keeping things snappy makes it more likely that everyone will remember to take part and everyone will benefit from the swap.
An added incentive
* As an added incentive to help you remember to post out your bookish mail on time, if you email me a photograph of your parcel, stamped and ready to be posted at the mail-box, on or before Monday 2 March your time, I’ll send you a little hand-written postcard from my stack of vintage postcards.
I’ll also share your photo on my Instagram Stories to share the love (blurring out your swap partner’s address first), and link back to you if you have an Instagram address or blog.