Jolabokaflod

Christmas Book Flood • Reading for Pleasure

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The future of reading? AI meets Jolabokaflod (episode #5)

Event announcement: Jolabokaflod CIC is hosting a 30-minute live-stream podcast today—Friday, 20 December at 10.30 am. Anyone who is free is most welcome to join in…

This Christmas season, discover the intersection of AI and literature in a unique and timely podcast episode all about Jolabokaflod—the Icelandic Christmas tradition of gifting books. Join us as we explore how artificial intelligence is transforming the way we write, publish, and experience books, especially during the holidays.

In this episode, we delve into how AI can enhance the book discovery process, from personalised recommendations to AI-driven writing tools that help authors craft their stories. We’ll explore the growing role of AI in the literary world, from automated editing and book marketing to the creative collaboration between humans and machines.

As we embrace the magic of Jolabokaflod, a tradition that celebrates the joy of reading on Christmas Eve, we’ll also reflect on how technology is shaping the future of storytelling. Whether you’re a writer, reader, or simply looking for fresh ways to make your Christmas reading even more exciting, this episode will open your eyes to how AI and books are making the holidays brighter. Tune in for a fascinating look at the future of literature in the age of AI and join the conversation about the books we’ll be reading and gifting this Christmas.

Get into the Christmas spirit of Jolabokaflod by discovering how promoting reading for pleasure over the festive season can make the holidays more special and reignite a love for books to take into the New Year as a resolution you can keep.

On 20 December at 10.30-11.00 am GMT, join Christopher Norris in conversation with Georgia Kirke—Founder of ClioBooks.ai—to discover how AI impacts books, especially in relation to Christmas and the Jolabokaflod tradition.

Share your questions with us in real time.

• YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvQRRJwtHv0


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Jolabokaflod and literary agenting (episode #2)

Event announcement: The Jolabokaflod CIC is hosting a live-stream podcast today—Tuesday, 17 December. Anyone who is free is most welcome to join in…

Are you ready to unwrap the hidden strategies behind guiding authors to literary success this holiday season? In this seasonal podcast show, we embrace the spirit of Jolabokaflod, the Icelandic tradition of gifting and savouring books on Christmas Eve. Just as families exchange stories and ideas on that magical night, our special episode sheds light on the nurturing relationships between agents, authors, and publishers—all working together to spark the world’s next wave of literary brilliance.

Join us as we journey through the non-fiction book world’s back channels: from identifying untapped markets in business or science to shaping a memoir that resonates across continents. We delve into every step of an agent’s craft—understanding trends, refining pitches, and forging partnerships that ensure your favourite holiday reading pile is brimming with meaningful, impactful titles.

This season, find out how literary agents breathe life into ideas that can fill the long winter nights with insight, learning and hope. Whether you’re a budding agent, a curious author, or simply someone who cherishes the tradition of gifting knowledge and inspiration, this podcast invites you to celebrate the art—and the craft—of bringing non-fiction stories into the world’s festive reading rituals.

Get into the Christmas spirit of Jolabokaflod by discovering how the work of literary agents contributes to the festive season in the book trade, including being the first movers in the cycle of finding fabulous authors worthy of publication, helping to reignite your love of books over the holidays to take into the New Year as a resolution you can keep.

On 17 December at 2.00-2.30 pm GMT (9.00-9.30 am EST | 6.00-6.30 am PST), join Christopher Norris in conversation with Rita Rosenkranz—owner of her eponymous New York-based literary agency—on the topic of how agents help to make Christmas such a special time for books.

Share your questions with us in real time.

• YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stnyq2p8qeg

See you at the Jolabokaflod fireside chat event.

A recording of the session is available immediately after the livestream at YouTube.

Note: If you’d like to watch the previous Jolabokaflod session—Jolabokaflod as ageneric book promotion campaign—here is the YouTube link:

• YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQJ5yvv7V1U


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Jolabokaflod as a generic book promotion campaign (episode #1)

Event announcement: Jolabokaflod CIC is hosting a rescheduled live-stream podcast on Friday, 20 December. Anyone who is free is most welcome to join in…

Celebrate the magic of Jolabokaflod—the Icelandic Christmas tradition where books are exchanged on Christmas Eve—with our latest podcast episode focused on generic book promotion strategies. Whether you’re an author, publisher, or book lover, this episode offers valuable insights into how the spirit of this holiday tradition can inspire more effective book marketing.

In this episode, we dive deep into actionable book promotion techniques that go beyond the typical strategies, showcasing how to create a lasting impact in your audience’s minds. You’ll learn how to craft compelling book launches, build genuine author-reader connections, and utilise festive traditions like Jolabokaflod to ignite curiosity and generate buzz around your work.

We also explore unique ways to tap into the global love for books during the holiday season, offering tips on how to align your marketing with the seasonal spirit to increase book sales, visibility, and long-term readership.

Perfect for anyone involved in the literary world, this episode will provide fresh perspectives on how to make your book stand out in a crowded market. Don’t miss out on strategies that could change the way you approach book promotion. Tune in now and take your book promotion game to the next level!

Get into the Christmas spirit of Jolabokaflod by discovering how promoting reading for pleasure over the festive season can make the holidays more special and reignite a love for books to take into the New Year as a resolution you can keep.

On 20 December at 2.00-2.30 pm GMT (9.00-9.30 EST | 6.00-6.30 PST), join Christopher Norris in conversation with Andrew Hayward—pioneers of the celebration of #WorldBookDay in the UK (via the Booksn ginger group)—about the how to market the magic of books, especially to mark special occasions.

Share your questions with us in real time.

• YouTube link: https://youtube.com/live/w3F2d7gC7XY

See you at the Jolabokaflod fireside chat event.

A recording of the session is available immediately after the livestream at YouTube.

Note: If you’d like to watch the next Jolabokaflod session—Jolabokaflod and literary agenting—here is the YouTube link:

• YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Stnyq2p8qeg


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The day after Jólabókaflóðið

Jólabókaflóðið (The Christmas Book Flood) is of course a beloved Icelandic tradition that takes place on Christmas Eve, rather than Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve, Icelanders exchange books as gifts, and it’s a cherished part of their holiday celebrations. Here’s how the tradition typically unfolds:

Reading together in front of a fire
  • Book giving: On the night of 24 December, it’s customary for Icelanders to exchange books as gifts with their loved ones. The books are typically wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree.
  • Reading together: After the exchange of books, it’s common for families to spend the evening reading. Many people enjoy a peaceful night reading their newly received books, often accompanied by hot cocoa or a festive drink and some chocolates.
  • Quiet celebration: Christmas Eve in Iceland is a quiet and contemplative time. Many businesses close early, and the streets become deserted as families gather to celebrate in the warmth of their homes.

While Jólabókaflóðið is the main book-related tradition associated with Christmas in Iceland, Christmas Day itself typically involves more traditional celebrations, including attending church services, enjoying a special holiday meal, and spending time with family and friends. It’s a time for reflection, relaxation, and festive gatherings, much like in many other countries.

Jolabokaflod CIC exists to promote Jólabókaflóðið everywhere else around the world, to ensure everyone has the chance to participate in this wonderful Icelandic tradition. Here are the Yule Lads, enjoying Jólabókaflóðið by opening their presents and reading the books they receive on Christmas Eve.


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Our Book Bulletin for 2021

Iceland’s ‘Book Bulletin’ for Jolabokaflod at Christmas 2021

Merry Christmas, everyone – and happy Jolabokaflod for 24 December. We hope you received the books you wanted and are already deep in concentration, reading – lost in the worlds created by the writing on the page.

On the surface 2021 has been a second fallow year for Jolabokaflod CIC, due to lockdown caused by the coronavirus pandemic. You will be glad to learn, however, that we have been hard at work at a deeper level out of the necessity to pivot. Here are some of the activities we initiated during the year.

Refuge in Literacy UK

In February 2021, our Founder (Christopher Norris) began to mentor children’s author Anne Stairmand about setting up a social enterprise to build on a generous gift she donated at Christmas 2020 when she gave 50 signed copies of her books to a local refuge centre. The strength of the positive reaction she received inspired her to make this connection more permanent.

We guided Anne on her journey to create a not-for-profit company called Refuge in Literacy UK with two meta goals:

  • Ensuring children in refuge own copies of books signed by their authors
  • Teaching parents how to support their children’s learning how to read successfully

Refuge in Literacy UK soft-launched in November 2021 with an in-person conference-style event to bring the CIC’s stakeholders together for the first time and to share the vision for the future.

At Christmas 2021, the company has a board of 10 people and is working to send more signed books to refuges, with around 30 authors in the scheme already. It is also creating reading prompts that will help parents read the books with their children.

Christopher has agreed to become a non-executive director of Refuge in Literacy UK in the New Year, advising on strategy and fundraising at the company’s biannual board meetings. The social enterprise is set to grow rapidly in 2022.

Theme of the month at Founders and Mentors

In October 2021 we were delighted to publish a month of themed content in The Creative Collective community at Founders and Mentors, the free-to-access platform that supports pre-launch founders, inventors and creatives with free mentoring to launch startups, inventions and creative projects more successfully. This content comprised information, polls, questions and a ‘call to action’ for member s to consider making Jolabokaflod part of the way they celebrate the festive season, whether or not they celebrate Christmas.

The Wisdom of Coffee

The month of promotion was backed up by the Wisdom of Coffee network, both at its eponymous Founders and Mentors community (The Wisdom of Coffee) and at its Meetup group (The Wisdom of Coffee), remaining members to get involved with the Jolabokaflod tradition.

Secret Santa with a twist

We ran a pilot scheme at Founders and Mentors to run a ‘Secret Santa’-style promotion with a Jolabokaflod flavour: Secret Jólasveinn

We invited members of the Founders and Mentors global network to participate in a scheme to buy and send a book of their choice to the person they selected at random ‘out of the Santa hat’. Seven members participated in the pilot.

Although this was a small group of people in the inaugural event, everyone enjoyed the activity as a way of engaging with each other and the wider Founders and Mentors community.

We shall scale up the Secret Jólasveinn project for Christmas 2022, so that everyone who wants to take part can do so, wherever they are in the world.

What’s next?

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 is surging as we post this update. The future is unclear from this vantage point as to when everyone will be able to resume their lives unaffected by protocols imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. There are a few things, however, that we can predict with some degree of certainty:

  • The end of the pandemic is not currently in sight, especially if vaccines and other treatments are not shared globally by countries with the resources to do so
  • Life will be different for all of us once the pandemic is in the rear-view mirror
  • Our collective tastes and preferences may change in the light of our experience of living through a pandemic.

With so much unknown about the future, Jolabokaflod CIC will continue to stay agile in how we promote the ‘Christmas book flood’ tradition around the world. We have plenty of ideas in the pipeline, which we shall reveal and promote at the appropriate time – and as the pandemic allows.

Enough from us – now enjoy the rest of the festive season and go bury your head in a book.

Jolabokaflod CIC


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There’s 4.19 books born every minute

Never one to miss an opportunity to make analogies, today – 5 May – is International Day of the Midwife. Whilst the medical world of baby sherpas have their awareness day in the sunshine – this year the emphasis is on defending women’s rights – here at Jolabokaflod Towers we can extend the metaphor to include authors giving birth to their work (all 2,200,000 per year around the world). Once you suspend disbelief to compare and contrast the process, there are similarities:

  • The decision to write a book can be years in the making
  • Aspiring authors can attend ante-natal classes to learn about the publishing process
  • Research is a key factor in planning for a new arrival
  • The act of consummation involves love, foreplay, mind games and active imagination
  • The foetus moves through many evolutionary drafts
  • Authors often don’t know how their work will turn out until it is completed
  • Gestation of a manuscript in an author’s room often takes around nine months
  • The birthing process is often painful and may need to be induced with coffee and/or alcohol, depending on the time of day and the severity of the discomfort
  • There is often a room in the house that needs painting, even if this is only a displacement activity
  • Delivery of a manuscript via an agent is usually a joyous occasion
  • Finding a place for a moulding the future of a manuscript, taught by publishing tutors, can involve moving house
  • Some authors prefer their offspring to be home-schooled
  • The growth of a book is part nature, part nurture
  • In the genetic make up of successful books, X marks the spot and Y gets an answer
  • The First Day at School is celebrated in the company of friends and colleagues with free-flowing, warm white wine, liberal helpings of cake, copious tears of pride and a few congratulatory speeches

So, please be up-standing – and raise your glass of flat Prosecco with us – to toast the author-parents of the world and their publisher-midwives, as well as – obvs – the unsung heroines (and heroes) that help to bring our real-world babies into the universe.


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Valentine’s Day: receiving books from your beloved

ibgd-poster If books be the food of love, read on: sharing books with the people in your life

Part 3: receiving a book

As the Book Bulletin online catalogue crowdfunding campaign for reading recommendations and gift suggestions comes to an end on International Book Giving Day (also known in some quarters as ‘Valentine’s Day’), Christopher Norris from the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign asked friends, fans and followers of the initiative how they would feel about exchanging books with significant others on 14 February.

How would receiving a book as a gift on Valentine’s Day make you feel?

Hannah Bellamy, CEO, United Way Reading Oasis: Understood

Catherine Clover, author, forthcoming multimedia Aldus Cervus series: Having been given children’s books by my parents on Valentine’s Day when I was young, I know what a blessing it is to have such an intimate and lasting token of their love. To this day, when I read the Valentine inscriptions written lovingly in my now deceased mother’s hand, it makes me feel so connected to her. I feel that there is nothing greater to bring us together with our loved ones than sharing a bound copy of a book!

Andrew Haywardether, Managing Director, Ether Books: When I am the recipient of a book, I find that often my friends are pushing me out of my comfort zone, and that has to be a good thing!

Jessica Norrie, author, The Infinity Pool: Much better than receiving chocolate-cream-filled profiteroles with pink, sugar hearts or any of the other sickly things on sale at this time of year!

Lesley Pollinger, author and Literary Executor and Trustee for the Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli: Loved (and probably stunned!).

Nick Quantrill, crime writer and Hull Noir 2017 team, international crime writing festival: Books can be such a personal thing, so receiving a book you’ll really enjoy shows a genuine connection with your loved one. I’d be delighted to receive a book and think it would be a fine tradition to initiate.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttiryrsa-helmet, award-winning author: Again, absolutely marvelous and I hope my husband reads this.

Hildur Sif Thorarensen, author, Einfari: Very good. I love books. I love educational books. I love crime novels. I love all sorts of interesting reading material.

Karen Sullivan, Founder and Publisher, Orenda Books: I always have a book wish list on the fridge, and receiving a book as a gift on Valentine’s Day would be the most perfect gift – enabling me to be transported, indulge in my favourite activity: reading.

Victoria Wicks, actress, granddaughter of H E Bates: I’d be pretty thrilled to get anything on Valentine’s Day!

How would you summarise the idea of giving and receiving books on Valentine’s Day?

Anonymous advertising executive: A book is a really thoughtful gift because it shows that you know the person inside

Gill Paulicon-gill-paul, author, historical fiction: Flowers and chocolates are lovely, but impersonal and impermanent. To choose a book for someone else requires thinking about who they are, what they enjoy, the very heart and soul of them. And while flowers wither and chocolates get eaten (fast), that book will last for life

Christopher Norris is the Founder and Curator of the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign (twitter: @Jolabokaflod). There is still time to make a contribution to the Book Bulletin cause and receive promotion for you and your passions, projects and interests. Please give generously by 14 February 2017.

 

 

 


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Valentine’s Day: giving books to your beloved

hug-book-loveIf books be the food of love, read on: sharing books with the people in your life

Part 2: giving a book

As the Book Bulletin online catalogue crowdfunding campaign for reading recommendations and gift suggestions comes to an end on International Book Giving Day (also known in some quarters as ‘Valentine’s Day’), Christopher Norris from the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign asked friends, fans and followers of the initiative how they would feel about exchanging books with significant others on 14 February.

How would receiving a book as a gift on Valentine’s Day make you feel?

Hannah Bellamy, CEO, United Way Reading Oasis: No book is the same. I give to offer advice, adventure, comfort or amusement. When someone is suffering and I don’t know how to help, I send a book.

Catherine Clovercc-white-hart, author, forthcoming multimedia Aldus Cervus series: For a child in my life I can think of nothing better than to give them a book from a favorite series they are reading, or a book of poetry.

Andrew Hayward, Managing Director, Ether Books: I love fitting books to people, finding a subject they like and hopefully getting a new fan for the author. If I find people who have an interest in Germany, both during the war and post war I always give them a copy of a Philip Kerr, Bernie Gunther book. So far, everyone has enjoyed him and bought the rest of the series

Jessica Norrie, author, The Infinity Pool: I would enjoy browsing for something that expressed love elegantly and spiritually and with humour. Or that specifically reflected the relationship I was celebrating.

Lesley Pollinger, author and Literary Executor and Trustee for the Estate of Frieda Lawrence Ravagli: Loving, and with thought for the recipient.

Nick Quantrillhull-noir-2017, crime writer and Hull Noir 2017 team, international crime writing festival: As a book lover, I know such a gift would be well-received, so it’d be a genuine pleasure to buy the perfect book.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, award-winning author: Absolutely marvelous. A book is a gift that requires thought and insight and is reserved for those close to your heart, be it lover, relative or friend. People don’t give books to someone they don’t like.

Hildur Sif Thorarensen, author, Einfari: It would make me happy if I found a good book that is up my boyfriend’s alley.

Karen Sullivan, Founder and Publisher, Orenda Books: I always give books as gifts, and they are powerful conveyors of emotion and affection. On Valentine’s Day, this becomes increasingly poignant.

Victoria Wicks, actress, granddaughter of H E Bates: If I was given a book by a prospective beau, and I found I liked the book, that would give me goosebumps I think. It’s really quite sexy because it indicates a desire to be very close to someone. If you’re reading a book someone’s given you then that person is everywhere you are when you are reading it: on the tube or the bus, by the fire, in bed. It indicates intimacy in a way that lingerie can’t.

Christopher Norris is the Founder and Curator of the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign (twitter: @Jolabokaflod). There is still time to make a contribution to the Book Bulletin cause and receive promotion for you and your passions, projects and interests. Please give generously by 14 February 2017.


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What our fans read over Christmas

We put out the word on social media around the festive season that we were keen to find out which books our friends and followers were reading on Christmas Eve – and beyond – in the spirit of Jolabokaflod. Here is a review of the responses we received. As always, all the books we mention can be purchased in the UK via the Booksellers’ Association’s My Local Bookshop search engine.

161225-books-asThe avid-reader Mum

Alyson Shipley in East Yorkshire was feeling optimist. Christmas for her was a read-fest of the titles in the picture opposite, which she sent us via Facebook. Hopefully her whole family joined in. Alyson says she is already into the seventh book in her haul of books. Here is a list, from top to bottom, for everyone unable to enlarge the photo.

  • Akram’s War, Nadim Safdar (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Then She Was Gone, Luca Veste (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Sweet Home, Cathy Bray (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)
  • Far From True (Promise Falls: book 2), Linwood Barclay (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Travelers, Chris Pavone (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Slow Horses (Jackson Lamb: book 1), Mick Herron (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Dead Lions (Jackson Lamb: book 2), Mick Herron (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • My Name is Leon, Kit de Waal (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Long Way Home (DI Zigic and DS Ferreira: book 1), Eva Dolan (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Museum of You, Carys Bray (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)
  • Cold Earth (Shetland: book 7), Anne Cleeves (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Blood Card (Stephens and Mephisto: book 3), Elly Griffiths (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Twenty-Three (Promise Falls: book 3), Linwood Barclay (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • A Divided Spy (Thomas Kill: book 3), Charles Cumming (Amazon: UK | USA)

ln-linkedin The booktuber

Meanwhile, Leena Normington at Just Kiss My Frog posted her thoughts via YouTube. These are the books she was thinking about buying family and friends for Christmas. Maybe Leena will share which titles she actually gave as presents this year and how her loved ones are getting on with reading them. Here’s a list of the books she mentions in the order in which she talks about them

  • How to be Parisian, Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Caroline de Maigret and Sophie Mas (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Feral, George Monbiot (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • How to Survive the End of the World as we Know It, James Wesley Rawlesa (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Introducing George The Poet: Search Party, A Collection of Poems, George the Poet (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Wildflower, Drew Barrymore (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Zayn: The Official Autobiography, ZAYN [Zayn Malik] (Amazon: UK)
  • The Descent of Man, Grayson Perry (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Bitten by Witch Fever: Wallpaper and Arsenic in the Nineteenth-Century Home, Lucinda Hawksley (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Feminist Fight Club: An Office Survival Manual (For a Sexist Workplace), Jessica Bennett (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Bridget Jones’s Baby: The Diaries, Helen Fielding (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Sofia Khan is Not Obliged, Alisha Malik (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Eat Sweat Play: How Sport Can Change Our Lives, Anna Kessel (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)
  • Let Them Eat Chaos, Kate Tempest (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Elements of Eloquence, Mark Forsyth (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Myth of Meritocracy, James Bloodworth (Amazon: UK | USA)

161225-books-abThe book blogger

Adele Blair writes the Kraftireader blog, which shares her ‘love of reading, crafting, recipes, music and shopping bargains. Adele tweeted that she had bought ten books this year as present and was, in return, enjoying reading books she had received as gifts:

  • The Phantom Tree, Nicola Cornick (Amazon: UK)
  • The Liberation, Kate Furnivall (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)
  • a treasured child’s picture-book
  • a prized cookbook

The main photo on her blog’s home page shows a haul of favourite books. Adele must get through many cups of tea and have a generally sunny disposition. Here are the books she has highlighted:

  • Me Before You, JoJo Moyes (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Fudge Berries and Frog’s Knickers, Lynda Renham (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)
  • The Teashop on the Corner, Milly Johnson (Amazon: UK | USA kindle))
  • Just for Christmas, Scarlett Bailey (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)

lc-twitterThe tweeter

Luke Conboye announced on Christmas Day via Twitter – his handle is @Someronrebel – that he was reading Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson. Excellent choice, sir.

  • Nightblind (Dark Iceland: book 2), Ragnar Jónasson (Amazon: UK | USA kindle)

The authors

Valerie Galantevg-twitter is a licensed psychologist who tweeted via @ValGalantePhD to tell us that she was reading The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A Singer over Christmas:

  • The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself, Michael A Singer (Amazon: UK | USA)

Valerie is a self-published author. Here are the books she has written:

  • Finding Your Way, Valerie Galante (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • Spirit Manifested: Poetic Reflections on Life, Valerie Galante (Amazon: UK | USA)
  • The Way of Yeshua, Valerie Galante (Amazon: UK | USA)

le-twitterLynne E Blackwood is an as-yet unpublished novelist (RINGS OF CHALK) and a prize-winning writer of short stories and poetry. She began writing in April 2012 after illness terminated her professional activity as a community project development consultant working with women asylum seekers and ethnic minorities.

Lynne told us she was reading Marlon James novel A Brief History of Seven Killings and spending part of the holiday season revising her thriller set in the Caucasus, RINGS OF CHALK

  • A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James (Amazon: UK | USA)


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New end date as Melvyn Bragg endorses The Icelanders Cometh

Feel the buzz

After a successful London Book Fair that captured the imaginations of publishers and journalists alike, it became clear that time was needed for The Icelanders Cometh buzz to build and go viral, to optimise the money to be raised via crowdfunding (way beyond the World Book Night figure of £2304.16) for UK libraries to spend on books by Icelandic authors translated into English.

News update

Now endorsed by broadcaster, novelist and Parliamentarian, Melvyn Bragg, the new end date for The Icelanders Cometh is 17 June 2016, Icelandic National Day, to mark the anniversary of Iceland’s formal independence from Denmark in 1944.

Celebration videos

These two pieces of news were first mentioned in two video messages recorded at the Café Royal by Christopher Norris, Founder and Curator of the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign, to mark three auspicious occasions: World Book Night, World Book and Copyright Day, and the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespare.

Watch them here:

Summary for social media (02:21)

Extended version (04:35)

Get involved: let’s do this!

We have until 17 June 2016 to make the campaign happen. Here is what you can do to take part by visiting The Icelanders Cometh in the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign patch at CrowdPatch:

  • Contribute Spend money on a reward and reap the benefit of a range of digital media packages
  • Volunteer Tell us what you would like to do to help us raise as much money as we can
  • Share Spread the news about the campaign to friends, family and the wider world via social media

You can reach Christopher Norris either via The Icelanders Cometh profile at CrowdPatch or via email or phone: contact details here.