You know, the kind that says, "This is not a chain letter!" but it totally is.
Well, chain-lettery or not, I thought it would be fun to participate in the exchange. But the form that I was supposed to "copy and mail to 6 friends" was dull and boring {and it had obviously been copied 20 times already}. Since I don't own a scanner or have any way to copy it, and knew that I would have to type the form up myself, I decided to do my best to make it cute.
This form is free for your use. Hopefully, just being able to print it directly from your computer will cut out the hassle of having to scan the original and make copies :)
Some tips for participating in a book exchange:
1. Contact your friends and ask before sending them an invite to the exchange
Not everyone gets giddy with excitement when receiving a chain letter. The idea of participating in a kids book exchange may be overwhelming to many moms, and you don't want to put them in an awkward position if they can't do it. Try to call, text, or email your friends to ask their permission to send the letter to them. If they don't want to participate, or don't have the time, tell them not to feel bad! Contacting them ahead of time is a considerate way to invite them to be involved without making them feel forced.
2. Don't worry about sticking to the "Send to 6 friends" policy
If you have 7 or more friends who would genuinely love to do this, go ahead and invite them! The more the merrier :) And, by inviting more people to participate, you're upping the number of books you'll be receiving.
3. Make use of Amazon or other web-based book services
I mailed the book directly off to the little girl in the #1 slot within a few minutes of receiving the invite from my friend. Amazon saves the day! I didn't have to go to the store to pick out a book, and I didn't have to stand in line at the post office. By using my Amazon Prime account, I didn't even have to pay shipping. It made this whole book exchange almost way too easy.
4. Send a new and exciting book that the family is less likely to own already.
This means to pretty much exclude all Dr. Suess and Sandra Boynton books from your shopping list. Try to think of a book that is a family favorite in your house, and have fun sharing it with another family.
When done correctly, a book exchange can be a lot of fun. Have fun participating in one, and be careful to make sure that your friends can enjoy it without feeling pressured to do so.
What book is a family favorite in your house?
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The Biggest Bear, Blueberries for Sal, and all the Beatrix Potter stories are among our favorites.
ReplyDeleteI would love to use my Amazon Prime to send the book but how do you include the letter to the person you are sending the book to? Just another letter?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi Trisha!
DeleteThe book goes to the friend of the person who sent the letter to you, and the letters go to your friends. You can use the gift tag option (no additional cost!) to write a quick note to the book recipient so that they know who it's from. Gotta love Amazon Prime! :)
do you have the template in a word document vs PDF? I want to type into it and email it vs mail it.
DeleteHi Denise, I do! If you send an email to me (bethany@happyhomemaker.me) I will be able to send you the Word document for the book exchange form. Emailing it out instead of mailing it is a good idea!
DeleteBlessings!
Hoping that the ladies so said they were interested will actually find other people who are as well, I have a feeling they will do it (so the person I got the letter from will get books) but not sure about the next level of peeps!
DeleteJust got one of these, and I'm so excited! Out of curiosity, did you actually get as many as you thought you would? There have been a lot of naysayers...
ReplyDeleteI hope you're having fun with it! It definitely takes checking with your friends first to see if they're willing to participate before you start "counting your eggs before they hatch" :) I emailed my friends first and asked if they would mind if I included them in the exchange, and then I only sent it out to the moms who were excited about joining in. Remind your friends to do the same, since it's THEIR friends who will be sending books to you! We came out a few short, but hey, for the price of one book, Kayleigh had a whole bunch of new stories to add to her shelf, and it was fun to check the mail every day!
DeleteThanks for responding Bethany (and on my blog too so I could see it) I actually made your PDF version work (a little bit of copying and text box adding and we were good to go)! I actually wrote to Citrus Lane and they sent me a more age appropriate box, so I'm glad I decided to write to them and let them know I was disappointedI have an updated review here: http://whattheschneck.blogspot.com/2013/08/citrus-lane-august-2013-review-2.html
ReplyDeleteI was just wondering if I start this, how does it work? Since I'm obviously not sending a book to someone.
ReplyDeleteI am waiting to recieve my letter from a friend. If your not sure how to start it off I can just include you in my 6 and you can go from there!
ReplyDelete