Pratchett Postal

I know that a lot of my friends will know what this all about but I thought it might make an interesting topic and might prompt other people to get involved with my madcap schemes!

I’ve been on twitter for a fairly long time, but I first joined it with the aim of having somewhere private to vent – I know a lot more people on Facebook as real people whereas my Twitter pals are mostly not actually people I know in the flesh – and also somewhere to argue in peace with strangers, something I found easier than with people I care about.

I have been trying to be more positive and open to good things since my last real bout of depression and I decided last year that I would try and overhaul myself a bit. To try and stay away from being argumentative and trolling and spending more time and focus on finding fun and happy go lucky people. Surround yourself with lovely people and lovely things will happen.

Since Terry Pratchett died I have tried to do mental things each year in his name to raise money for a variety of charities (I’ve put the links below so if you wanted to donate, please do) and after throwing myself out of a plane, doing colour or just 5k runs, walking on hot coals and the like, I thought i’d calm it down a bit. Then a friend of mine on Twitter was talking about sending books to people, and I loved that idea, I mean, who could argue with being offered a free book?

I decided due to my feelings about the Discworld and how amazing I have always found it that instead of buying new books and sending them out, I’d see if I could get duplicates of Pratchett’s work from charity shops (another obsession of mine) or the like and then see if anyone would be interested in receiving a new to them book. That’s where #PratchettPostal came from.

I had no preference as to if I helped people find a new author or to help build up other fans collections, I just wanted to prove to myself that good things do happen and when they do, it makes me feel good, and sometimes, that’s the most important thing.

Over 2018 I sent over 100 books out. I have no idea how I managed it but know I wouldn’t have been able to do it without a great group of people online. I know that being retweeted by Rhianna (Terry’s daughter) certainly helped and the support I’ve gotten from The Emporium and other Disc fans has been amazing. I genuinely feel like I’ve found an absolute gem of a group of people and that to me is priceless, and precisely the reason why I decided to continue this again this year.

It’s simple really, where I live there are so many charity shops and I think a lot of them are now used to me popping in and grabbing any Pratchett’s they have, I photograph them and then advertise on Twitter using the hashtag as above. Once people ask me for a copy of anything specific, I send them out to wherever they are in the world. I love the way that I’m helping people find something new or even asking them to try and read someone a bit different.

I’ve actually got some wonderful things back from some people online, including some chocolates, art, books, socks and a real hand written letter with a real wax stamp, so many lovely things and people means that as far as I’m concerned, I’ll keep doing this for as long as I can.

What about you dear reader? Is there any author who has touched your life in such a way that you need to pass that love on?

Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts and maybe find some new authors.

Charities to donate to if you have the pennies and inclination:

http://www.orangutan.org.uk

http://www.booktrust.org.uk

http://www.alzheimers.org.uk

Obviously there are many great charities out there but these ones are very close to my heart. Feel free to read up on what they do or if you’re on twitter, come and find me @polmoose83 and grab a book!