Join My Reading Challenge for 2016: Read 100 Books, Win Prizes!

Do you read a gazillion books every year and want to show off? Did you read only a few in 2015 — and want to commit to reading more this year? How about a reading challenge to inspire and motivate us all? And — even better — how about there be prizes at the end of it?

A few weeks ago, when I posted my list of my Top 20 Books from 2015, I mentioned I had read 100 books this year (actually, in the few remaining weeks after that post, I topped out at 105). The very first comment on that post was from Benjamin Thomas. Our conversation went something like this:

B.: Well, I’m seriously jealous if you really read 100 books unless I misunderstood something.

K.: Actually, this year was a really slow book year for me. Last year, I topped out at around 150. But it was a research year too.

B.: You guys are stirring me up to make a new years resolution. 100 bks is downright impressive. I’m willing to accept the mission. It could be called the 100 bk challenge. Would there be a certain prize involved if we read 100 bks? (hint hint) including all of KM’s bks? Sounds enticing huh?

K.: Hah! If you do it, I’ll send you a free book of your choice.

B.: Mission accepted. You’re on sister. 100 books here we come!

But then I figured, why not throw open the challenge to everyone?

K.M. Weiland’s Reading Challenge: Read 100 Books in 2016

Are you game? Here’s out it works:

1. All you gotta do is log 100 books this year. They can be any type of book (textbooks and audio books included) and any length (novellas included), as long as they have chapters (for example, no children’s picture books–since most of us could read 100 of those in a day). The books need to be published (if you’re a writer, editing your own drafts doesn’t count — sorry).

2. To sign up for the challenge, join the Goodreads group I’ve created (we’re already at 60+ members!).

3. Log each book you read in your Goodreads account, so you can prove your full tally by year’s end.

4. Feel free to share your progress and your favorite books within the group, via the Discussion Groups (add your own topic!). You can be as active (or not) as you want.

5. At year’s end, if you’ve reached or surpassed the challenge of 100 completed books, you get … prizes!

What Do You Win if You Complete the Reading Challenge?

Originally, when I posted the idea of the challenge on Facebook and Twitter, I offered everyone the same prize I offered Benjamin: a free signed paperback of one of my books. But the response was so enthusiastic that, as several of you pointed out, I’d probably go broke on the postage alone if I attempted to fulfill it! So here’s what we’re going to do.

1. Everyone who completes the challenge will receive their choice of one of my e-books.*

2. Everyone who completes the challenge will also be entered in a drawing for one of ten of my signed paperbacks (of their choice).

3. I also have some ideas for some more fun possibilities for prizes, but we’ll keep those under wraps until next December, while I work on them.

(*The one exception being Benjamin Thomas, who kickstarted this whole thing, and will definitely get that signed paperback.)

Are you in? I hope this will be a fun way to share our love of books and keep us motivated in being focused and productive with our reading this year.

Let’s chat! How many books do you plan to read in 2016? Will you join the reading challenge? Tell me in the comments!