Do you have a group of book-loving friends who love to talk about their latest literary endeavors? Get them all together for a book swap at your home! These fun gatherings are great opportunities for you to trade books that you’ve read and loved and receive new recommendations. Here are a few simple tips for planning your first book swap.
- Set a minimum. In order to ensure that everyone brings enough books (it wouldn’t be much of a swap with just a few titles, after all), set a minimum for each person. For a group of around 10 people, 10 books per person should do the trick.
- Bring books that are in good condition. While you may want to get rid of your college philosophy books with notes all through the margins, your friends likely won’t appreciate receiving these in the swap.
- Give out tickets. The easiest (and fairest) way to run the swap is by giving everyone a ticket with his or her name on it for each book that they bring. Toss all of the tickets into a hat, and then draw names to decide who picks next.
- Add descriptions. If you want to get really in-depth with your swap, instruct your guests to write a short description of each of their books on a Post-It note (think “Recommended if you liked…”).
How to Throw a Book Swap Party [Reader’s Lane]
How to Host a Book Swap Party [One Good Thing]
How to Host a Swap Party [Real Simple]
Equal Housing Opportunity
