Join the 500 Billion Page Challenge

Pop quiz: how many pages do you think Americans read collectively every year?

Before you bust out the calculator and your reading log from years prior to do some calculated math, the folks at ThriftBooks have already done the hard work for us: Americans are reading around 300 billion pages annually. Sounds impressive, right? A billion is a lot, and 300 billion is a lot of a lot.

But here’s the bummer news: a decade ago, we were reading 500 billion pages a year. That’s a whopping 200 billion fewer pages we’re reading now than we were 10 years ago. One would hope that statistic would trend in the opposite direction—enter the 500 Billion Page Challenge.

What is the 500 Billion Page Challenge?

It’s pretty much exactly what it sounds like: a collective challenge, hosted by ThriftBooks, to read 500 billion pages together and get our reading trending back in the right direction. Making an impact is easy: reading as little as three pages a day helps to not only slow that decline, but reverse it. Whether you’re already reading way more than that or haven’t picked up a book in years, three more pages than you’re reading now is all it takes to make a difference.

How to Get Started

Read more about the challenge here, and when you’re ready to get started, go to the challenge hub. That’s where you’ll sign up or log in, set your goal, track your progress, and celebrate every book read. You can also check out monthly challenge themes here, like June’s Reading Roadtrip theme, including suggestions for reads on that theme.

And if you aren’t already hip to the Thriftbooks game, check out this primer on the book retailer to find out why you should consider Thriftbooks for your book purchasing needs, including info on their discounted pricing and ReadingRewards program (and how to get free books!)