This week in celebration of World Book Night, daughter Manda and I, along with thousands of other “givers,” took to the streets and offered free books to strangers. World Book Night officials report that in the US last year volunteers distributed “half a million books to light and non-readers in 5,800 towns and cities across the country.” I chose to hand out The Language of Flowers—a book loved by three generations of my family—my mother, Manda, and I (although I have to say my book group sort of ripped it).

At any rate, Manda and I arrived at our prearranged destination and reviewed our materials. Books to give away—check. WBN flyers—check. Manda’s hand painted WBN t-shirts—check. Then we sort of looked at each other in alarm.

We suddenly realized we were going to have to talk to STRANGERS! EEK!

Here’s the problem. Manda and I are both ambiverts*, which are sort of like introverts except not. (See below.) Yes, we did manage to pass out all our books, making some people very happy in the process. Based on our experience, I want to give you introverts and ambiverts out there some tips to help you enjoy World Book Night 2014 even more.

So, what is World Book Night about? The tradition upon which it’s based dates back hundreds of years. According to legend, the April 23^rd giving holiday began in Catalonia in medieval times when celebrants offered roses to loved ones. In 1923, the tradition expanded to include the gift of books to honor the death anniversaries of literary notables Miguel de Cervantes, Joseph Pla, and William Shakespeare.

In 2011,World Book Night debuted in the UK (in fact, I first heard about it from UK writer Roz Morris) in response to lackluster book sales and a lagging readership. The US joined the movement in 2012, calling on publishers, booksellers, and givers to spread the joy of reading one night a year.

Many of us who are not extroverts are avid readers, so we should make great ambassadors. But we need to do it our way, and that’s where the tips come in

1. Choose your book with an easy giveaway in mind. I had chosen a book I loved from the women’s fiction genre, but we discovered that women were sometimes wary of being approached at night. If you want to maximize your approach-to-success rate, you might consider a men’s or children’s book. (Regarding the latter, who does not melt at the sight of a childhood favorite like Phantom Tollbooth?)

2. Partner with an extrovert. The folks at World Book Night encourage group activity. Extrovert energy can rub off on you and give you that needed push to speak to strangers, that rah-rah go team! effect. A few people glared at us as if we were hawking Lucky Strikes to preschoolers. (Not many, but for us intro/ambiverts it doesn’t take much to send us scurrying for shelter.) If that happens, your extrovert friend can give you that metaphorical pat on the bottom to send you back out there.

3. Divide labor. This is especially good if you are working with an extrovert. (See tip #2.) Do the behind the scenes tasks for your partner. Prepare handouts. Set up the table, tablecloth, banners, stickers, and chairs for you and your friend. Make an attractive display for the books. Post the word “free” prominently on your table. Some people thought we were tricking them into a Maui timeshare when we attempted to hand over a book. Okay, I exaggerate, but there is some cynicism out there about the word “free”. At any rate, if you do the prep work, your partner should be happy to do the meet and greet for both of you.

4. Choose your venue with your reader in mind. I chose an upscale urban grocery store and set us up in the outdoor café near the front door. Apparently, some people do not enjoy grocery shopping even at upscale, feel-good, organic-centric stores. They tended to avert their eyes and dash inside. We had more luck with people passing by on the street and with people enjoying lattes in the café.

So there you have four tips to ease you into World Book Night 2014. On the WBN website you will find fun facts and information about applying for next year’s festivities. If you have any questions about this worthwhile event, please drop me a line. Also, I’d love to hear from you if you were a giver.What tips do you have?

*I just learned about ambiverts from Kristin Lamb’s article “The Myth About Introverts and Extroverts—Could You Be an Ambivert?”. There’s a cool test you can take to discover if you, too, are an ambivert.