What the hey? A Bookswap. You know, where a group of people get together and trade books around they’re all interested in.

Okay, and what are you all interested in? Reading Science Fiction and Fantasy books and stories. Reading fiction written by women because we think women rock. Getting more books and stories written by women on awards ballots (the Hugos, particularly). Sharing with others in the group which books and stories we absolutely love and which we’re not all that excited about.

That sounds nice. But… only books by women? The Zeitgeist is for more deserving female authors on the Hugo list, so that’s why we’re focusing on that. However, there are other areas to address, such as fiction written by minorities and/or containing minority characters. Once we smooth out the kinks, we can expand the scope.

Oh, I see. If I sign up, how much will it cost me? Good question. The swapping bit is currently run through LibraryThing, a free service. If you find a book or magazine you’d like someone to swap you, just ask. If they say yes, they’ll send it. They might pay the postage or they may ask nicely if you’ll pay it (it’ll usually be less than $2). When you’re done with it, send the book/magazine on to the next person who wants it. You can pay the postage or ask nicely if they will. With each book, most people will only pay postage.

But how will we get books or magazines to swap? Members of the group who are able to buy them will do so with an eye toward swapping it once they’re finished. Some members of the group have access to ARCs and other freebies they can swap around. If the community comes together, each person doing a small part, then no one person will have to buy a bunch of expensive books. And no one is under any obligation to buy anything.

Sounds very socialist. I’m suspicious! Did I mention lots of awesome books to read all year ’round at crazy low prices?

Sold! Where do I sign up? Please visit our website for detailed information. There you can find out how to join the group and other neat stuff.

Thank you, ABW, for informing me of such a wonderful thing. You’re welcome.

SFBookswap, FemSFBookswap, book swap, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Women Authors, Hugo Awards, Nebula Awards