The Bookseller – News – Free Books Campaign launches ‘urgent’ fundraiser to enable free festival

The Free Books campaign urges publishers to contact the organization and offer books, merchandise or sponsorship to help make the annual Free Books Festival possible.

The Free Books campaign is a non-profit organisation working to close the gap in access to literature for all ages. Launched in 2020, it focuses on getting books by authors of colour across the UK and Ireland to those who cannot afford or have access to them.

In four years, the Free Books Campaign has donated over 8,000 brand new books to service users, partnered with Marcus Rashford’s book club, built an online community of over 7,500 members and launched an annual, completely free literary festival.

This year, Candice Carty-Williams, Bolu Babalola, Caleb Femi and Dapo Adeola have been announced as patrons, supporting the campaign and providing creative direction for this year’s free festival, which will take place over three days from Friday 19 July to Sunday 21 July at BSix Sixth Form College in Hackney, London.

Describing the fundraiser, Sofia Akel, founder of the Free Books Campaign, said: “The funds we raised in 2020 have carried us through the years. But as our community grows, so does our ambition to support more people. We do this by connecting readers with books, creating career and networking opportunities for local people, working with local organizations and residents’ associations to understand the needs of local communities, and more.”

“For over four years I have used my savings and income from freelance work to fund my work here at the Free Books Campaign – without ever paying myself any money. What I am saying is that this has been a real labour of love and something I continue to do with passion and enthusiasm.

“We work with a range of grassroots organisations, publishers, book clubs, agencies and brands such as Tate, Netflix, Gymshark, Hackney Empire, Fujifilm, Inclusive Books for Children, Vintage and more, all of whom support us in creating a vibrant, exciting, engaging and accessible programme for everyone who comes through our doors – whether you consider yourself a reader or not, there is a home for you here, but without crucial funding and book donations we will not be able to continue.”

Akel said all funds raised will go towards covering essential festival costs, such as: the festival’s completely free bookstore, where attendees can browse and take home a brand new book for free; free food and refreshments for all attendees, volunteers and guests over the three days; free daycare/creche for parents who cannot afford childcare, and event resources and operating costs.

Author Candice Carty-Williams said: “It has been incredible to witness the rise and reach of the Free Books Campaign. Every single person deserves the escape that comes with reading and it is an honour to be part of this movement in some small way.”

Illustrator Dapo Adeola said: “The Free Books Campaign does a great job of making a wide range of books by authors and illustrators from all backgrounds accessible to all. A mission that aligns with my own, which is to make children’s book publishing more transparent and inclusive, and I am honoured to be a patron.” The fundraiser can be found here.