Some facts, figures and details of the EWC Campaign #behindeverybook on 23 April, World Book Day 2021 

Brussels, 27 April 2021

All over the world, writers, translators, and visual artists followed our invitation to join the EWC campaign #behindeverybook again.

Some facts, figures and details  of #behindeverybook in 2021:

• + 2000 Facebook posts from writers, translators, illustrators
• commented, retweeted and reposted by the European Writers’ Council, by fans, by EWC Member organisations, and readers
• 1990 Instagram-posts can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/behindeverybook/

• the profile of European Writers’ Council reached 4K impressions on
• posts in general with the #behindeverybook reached 1.111.124 potential over all impressions and an overall potential reach of 771.703.
• the most used languages: English, German, Spanish, Italian and Finnish.
• we spotted writers, translators and illustrators from Australia, Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, the Netherlands…
• most popular backgrounds: book shelf, brick wall, trees.
• most popular animal companions: cats, dogs, dragons.
• noticeable increase in children’s book authors as well as non-fiction writers, and a lively participation also from translators and visual artists.
• most frequently used terms after #behindeverybook is (besides the term author, translator, illustrator): work, passion, doubts, hopes, lifeblood, soul.

The European Writers’ Council says:

THANK YOU DEAR WRITERS, TRANSLATORS and VISUAL ARTISTS!

Next year, same date (23 April 2022): make visible who is #behindeverybook!

Many thanks to all EWC members who contributed to this beautiful success in the service of authors! Overall, we see that the campaign is establishing itself and we hope that it will continue to develop over the coming years to put a spotlight on the writers, translators and visual authors behind every book, the sources of the book value chain.

©SYNDIKAT, 23.4.2021 – new members of Syndikat – Association of German Language Crime Writers gathered for a “family picture” #behindeverybook

Inviation to join in 2021:

Dear Writer, Dear Translator, Dear Illustrator:

Behind every book is a writer, a translator, a life.
To celebrate these sources of the book value chain, the sources of fantasy, of knowledge, of cultural exchange, of democracy, free words and empathy, of understanding and dreaming, we invite all the members of the EWC member organisations, and every writer and translator, to join again the EWC campaign:

#behindeverybook
on World Book Day, 23 April 2021

In 2020, all over the world, writers, translators and illustrators started a movement together with the EWC campaign #behindeverybook:

• over 2000 Facebook pics & posts from Las Vegas to Reykjavik, Madrid to Moscow …
• 1300 Instagram-posts in 24 hours
• #behindeverybook reached 65200 impressions on Twitter and was trending.

In the photos, several writers and translators were accompanied by a hat, a cat, a dog, but we also found unicorns, pinguins, foxes … and often the #behindeverybook is … was completed with “an author, a writer, a life / a universe”, but also: “a dreamer, a beating heart, a masochist, a team, a translator, long and moaning hours of works with trillion post-its”.

Read more about the 2020-impact of #behindeverybook

#behindeverybook is the Author: Let’s create again a worldwide solidarity movement for and with writers and translators in 2021. Join the celebration and read how to:

HOW TO TAKE PART

• Take two pictures of yourself with your written or translated book. All kinds of genres of books are welcome – novels, comics, translations, memoirs, non-fiction, plays, poetry, short stories, picture books …. The first picture is with the open book with your name in front of your face, and the second with your face visible. Our model, Mr Jens J. Kramer, presents his version:
• Post the two pics together on World Book Day 2021 (23 April) on every account you have – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter … and
• use these two #hashtags: #behindeverybook and #worldbookday2021 – and also translate #behindeverybook into your language, like #hinterjedembuch
• tag the European Writers’ Council (Twitter: @CouncilWriters, Facebook: facebook.com/europeanwriterscouncil/ & your own Union / Writers’ Association, so we and them can share your post the whole World Book Day long!
• You do not have any social media account? Ask your Union, if they can tweet and post your pics. Or look for a friendly colleague to assist you and others with her/his account.
• Feel free to complete the sentence in English after #behindeverybook and add, for example:
  • is the author
  • is a person
  • is a translator
  • is a whole life
  • … is anything you want to say!

… and feel free to share this visual invitation and the link europeanwriterscouncil.eu/behindeverybook/ also before 23 April 2021 on your account, to let writers and translators know how to join:

Please encourage your members or your writing and translating friends to join and let’s populate the (online) world with pictures of books and their writers and translators on World Book Day 2021.

Please share this link with your members: https://europeanwriterscouncil.eu/behindeverybook/

 Stay safe – and keep on writing. With warm greetings:

Nina George, President                           Myriam Diocaretz, Secretary-General    … and the whole EWC Board

***

Flashback: #behindeverybook in 2020

#behindeverybook

the idea

Many debates on the policy level are about « sectors » or « the book industry » – but those with whom the book chain begins are individuals, people, personalities. To praise and celebrate these authors, writers and translators, to make the spirits, minds and faces behind every book visible, is the basic idea of #behindeverybook.

the background

The annual UNESCO event World Book Day is the original idea of the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel Andrés to honour the author Miguel de Cervantes, who died on 23 April.

On this day we praise the living authors, who enrich every society with their work and contribute to diversity, democracy and humanitarian education in all areas, with all genres.

the proceeding

• Take two pictures of yourself with your book. Every sort of books are welcome. First picture with the open book with your name in front of your face, and the second with your face visible.
  
• post the two pictures together on World Book Day 2020 (23. April) on every account you have – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter …
• use these two #hashtags:
  • #behindeverybook
  • #worldbookday2021
• tag the European Writers’ Council (Twitter: @CouncilWriters, Facebook: facebook.com/europeanwriterscouncil/ AND your own Union / Writers’ Association, so we and them can share your post the whole World Book Day long!
• you may be creative in your sentence after the hashtag #behindeverybook and add:
  • is the Author
  • is a person
  • is an author
  • is a whole life

Please encourage your members to join and let’s flood the (online) world with pictures of books and their authors on World Book Day 2021!