Michelle Styles: Mills & Boon and the UK’s National Year of Reading
Written by MMStyles - May 24, 2008 at 2:59 pm
2008 is the National Year of Reading in the UK.
It is about celebrating reading in all its forms and highlighting the importance of libraries. It is about encouraging parents to read to their children, and people in general just to read.
It is about challenging employers to turn their old smoking rooms into quiet reading rooms, and encouraging workers to read. Natasha Oakley whose Wanted: White Wedding is out this month explained further ‘Setting aside the fact I earn my living writing books,as a mum of five this is something I really want to be involved in. The hope is that the campaign will reach people who don't consider themselves 'readers'. The slogan is 'Reading - Anytime, Anything, Anywhere'. I'm all for taking the snobbishness out of books. It should be fun!'
Authors from literary authors to series romance authors are involved in a wide number of events. As part of the NYR nine Mills & Boon authors have been asked to be ‘Writers in Residence' in nine of England's library authorities. The timing and the match could not be more perfect, as Mills & Boon celebrates its 100th birthday, there is no one who knows a good book like a Mills & Boon author - or reader! It's a fantastic accolade and tribute to the importance of Mills & Boon to libraries and all the hard work done by so many of our authors in them.
The Mills & Boon ‘Writers in Residence' for the NYR are
Louise Allen - Peterborough
Susan Stephens - Kirklees
Kate Hardy - Norfolk
Nicola Cornick - Wiltshire
Sharon Kendrick - Hampshire
Caroline Anderson - Suffolk
Michelle Styles - Northumberland
India Grey - Cheshire
Natasha Oakley - Bedfordshire
A spokesperson for Mills & Boon said : ‘Mills & Boon is extremely proud to support the National Year of Reading, a government-backed initiative which aims to get more readers reading more! It will be supported by a TV advertising campaign featuring Geri Halliwell, Lenny Henry, Bill Bailey, Jon Culshaw and Jo Brand amongst others. The NYR will see a nationwide campaign reminding reluctant readers, hesitant readers and even prolific readers of the joy of reading. It's a wonderful opportunity for Mills & Boon to be part of this fantastic year celebrating reading!'
You can see the launch video
About halfway through, Bill Bailey is reading aloud from a Presents, but the whole videio and the way it is compiled shows the broad range of people the campaign is trying to appeal to.
Love the advert. Funny, I live within one of the above library authorities.
Very cool. I had to watch it a couple of times to catch all the transitions. Too funny.
Oh I love the advert as well.
It took me several goes to start naming the celebrities. I loved Bill Bailey who read the bit from Susan Napier's Harlequin Presents. Apparently he wants to play a dwarf in the Hobbit.
All of the library authorities have thier own Writer in residence. One of hte great things is that series authors are along side literary authors, so the campaign is really about getting people to read.
I am having a coffee with the woman in charge of organising the Northumberland National Year in Reading this week. I will then know more about what I am doing.