Register a Book
Stories shouldn’t gather dust — they should gather people. Every release is more than a book changing hands; it’s proof of connection — a stranger pausing, a reflection shared, a moment left behind.
Before a book can begin its journey, it needs a name tag—a small signal that connects its steps to the greater story of where it travels next.
Registering your book takes just a few minutes and lets future readers follow its path, add reflections, and keep the story alive.
Step 1 – Give Your Book Its ID
The book on your shelf—the one still echoing from the last time you read it—I don’t know who needs to read it today. But somebody will, someday.
Have the courage to carry it forward. A release is momentum. Momentum is memory—and every release is proof the story lives.
When the sidewalk ends, the story begins.
Every participant becomes both storyteller and steward—proof that generosity, when freed from form, can travel anywhere.
Discover. Reflect. Set Free. Mark the Moment.
Stories don’t just connect us—they “keep the sidewalk open.”
Each traveler needs a passport.
When you register here, your book receives a BookCrossing ID (BCID)—a unique number that links it to its digital travel page.
You can register directly through The Open Sidewalk Project or, if you already use BookCrossing, simply enter your existing BCID.
Tip: The BCID is what ties every reflection and photo together—think of it as the story’s heartbeat.
Step 2 – Add Your Reflection
Take a moment before you release it.
Write a short note, memory, or thought the story left you with.
This becomes part of the book’s living archive—the first entry in its travel journal.
“Books remember us as much as we remember them.”
Step 3 – Label and Prepare
Download and Print your Bookplate Release Label, Book Market and Invite Card.
Tuck the Book market inside the front cover. Tape to Bookplate label inside the back cover
**BE SURE YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOUR BCID NUMBER IN THE SPACE PROVIDED**
Slip the book the Invite card into a clear Release Bag (zip lock that fits) to protect it from the weather.
Every label you add says to yourself, “This book still has somewhere to be.”
Step 4 – Release It to the Wild
Leave it where someone might need a story—a café table, park bench, train seat, community shelf, or library corner.
Wild Release: Leave it somewhere for a stranger — a café table, a park bench, a train seat.
Direct Release: Hand it to a friend, family member, or even someone unexpected. Every release sets a story in motion.
Then log the release so others can see where the journey began on the website with your note, reflection, and photo. Be sure to include the BCID so the story can connect to the archive—proof that stories don’t end when the book closes. They keep traveling, reshaping lives as they go.