Heyo Bookaholics!

Help yourself and the community!

I was so stumped and at a loss for inspiration this week in what I should post, but I thought about it and it came to me: What’s better than helping the community?

So, you know how everyone and anyone who reads thinks of a ‘free bookmark’ as a piece of scrap that just holds a page in their current read. Some boring household item like a receipt, tissue, postcard, etc. will not cut it for me, so I compiled this simple list of ways to obtain aesthetic – or at least nice and structural – bookmarks FOR FREE!

This post – or a large majority of it – will be applicable to everyone regardless of your home or location. I am making this as broad as I can, and will be so open to any suggestions that could help improve my list.

Bookstores

You don’t really have to buy anything at bookstores. Sometimes I just walk around the store for twenty minutes to half an hour and make the staff suspicious of my motives. I also scope out the bookmarks that lie on the counter, usually, these are of two categories:

• Branded: to promote the bookshop, and
• Promotional: to advertise for books and/or publishers.

It goes without saying that I do get super awkward picking up a bookmark – or approaching the counter no less – from a bookstore if I don’t buy something, but if you’re gutsy then these are the best places to get cute bookmarks AND support your local bookstores.

Library

So libraries are literally the only place where:

• There are free books (you can even take them home!),
• It is socially acceptable to walk around/ sit for three to twelve hours,
• Never feel obliged to purchase anything, and
• There are always people who are willing to help you.

On top of all of that, libraries are warm and a great place to write and study because more often than not, they are comfortably quiet.

Oh! And they also have free bookmarks! 

I love the bookmarks in libraries because there is such a diverse range of them and they change regularly – at least they do at my library. Like bookstores, I find that libraries have a few different categories of bookmarks, such as:

• Branded: to promote the library (or library group if it is a council library);
• Promotional: to advertise local bookshops, publishers, and/or new release books;
• Competition: these tell you about the books that have been shortlisted or have won awards recently;
• Fun: colour-in or puzzle bookmarks.

Places like these provide news in a fun new way. A lot of the bookmarks that are provided in libraries are usually always plastered in book covers, so you have the opportunity to discover new books as you are reading because they appear on your bookmark!

Book Launches

In my experience, many book launches are free and to show their appreciation, authors will give out swag like bookmarks, posters and postcards to their readers.

I’ve been to many a book launch in my time and at almost everyone, I have been lucky enough to collect a bookmark related to the novel being launched. At the last book launch, I picked up a signed postcard of the book, and at the one before, I received prints of the characters.

So, not all book launches will have bookmarks, but you have to chance it most of the time and pray that the authors brought some cute swag you can stick inside your new novel! If they have nothing, never fear, because there these events are generally held in a bookstore (see point 1 for more info).

I hope you enjoyed this post!

The list may be small, but it is mighty! Let me know if you have headed to any of these public locations and what bookmarks you’ve found.

Where do you get your bookmarks? x

Leave your opinions in the comments or alternatively on my social media channels!
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With Love Bree xx

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© Jasper+Spice 2018. All Rights Reserved. Please do not use without my permission. This post was not sponsored, all photos and graphics are of my own creation.