Ever wonder where your book ends up?

Here is a perfect example of new media helping old media.

Bookcrossing.com is a free service which enables you to "release" your books to strangers and track where they end up in the world. I just released a book over the weekend and I'm now anxiously checking it's status each day.

The idea is rather simple. Go to bookcrossing.com and register for a free account. Then you can either purchase their sticker packs, or be cheap like me and print and glue-stick it to your book cover. When you register a book you are given a tracking number. You fill in the tracking number on the sticker, stick the sticker inside of the book cover, then you update the book's status on bookcrossing.com

I found a book at a pub in Toronto with the tracking sticker in it. I read the book, then I left it at a University campus bookstore. I got home, logged into my account, and entered the location of where it was left. Then I followed the book as the next reader registered where they left it.

Since bookcrossing.com is being used across the world, it will be wild when you discover a book that you read has ended up somewhere in Australia or Japan. Be strategic where you leave them, i.e. airports, hotels, hostels, buses, subways, etc.

I really urge every one of you to do this with a book you read recently. It's incredible to be able to track where your book ends up and where it came from. DO IT NOW, it will take five minutes.

If you have any questions refer to this FAQ. or just watch this!


Happy reading!
Dave