USA Today has the exclusive news that Star Wars Reads Day will be returning again this year on October 11th.

Today I can report that Star Wars Reads Day will return for its third year Oct. 11 — a fact that doesn’t come as too much of a surprise, since it keeps getting bigger.

Last year more than 2,000 events took place, so expect just as many this time around. Several publishing partners will come together for the festivities, including Disney Publishing Worldwide, Abrams, Chronicle, Dark Horse, Del Rey, DK, Klutz, Quirk Books, Random House Audio, Scholastic and Workman.

Keep an eye on starwars.com/reads and facebook.com/StarWarsReads for the latest info on signings, parties and special events in your town.

Numerous authors participate with the festivities, so stay tuned to see if an Expanded Universe author will be at a location near you.

Just announced: #StarWars Reads Day to take place on Saturday, October 5. More news to come. #SWEU

— StarWarsBooks (@DelReyStarWars) June 1, 2013

The day devoted to Star Wars in written form will return for it’s second year on October 5th. Keep your eyes out for announcements on local events near you.

In preparation for Star Wars Reads Day on October 6th, Random House is offering new and long-time readers a deal on Expanded Universe eBooks. For $7.99, you can get a bundle containing:

• Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn
• X-Wing: Rogue Squadron by Michael A. Stackpole
• Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore
• Legacy of the Force: Betrayal by Aaron Allston

Vector Prime and Betrayal aren’t exactly the type of EU novels I’d recommend a new reader to pick up right away, but this bundle is worth it on the strength of Heir to the Empire and Rogue Squadron alone.

You can get your bundle tomorrow. Links to sellers are available at Random House.

Don’t forget, Star Wars Reads Day will be taking place soon at a library or bookstore near you! Some of you will be able to see authors as well as volunteers from the 501st Legion and Rebel Legion. You’ll also get the chance to support a good cause thanks to a partnership with the Today Show.

FANS AND VOLUNTEERS GEAR UP FOR STAR WARS READS DAY

Over 1200 Bookstore and Library events throughout the US to be held October 6, 2012

 

NEW YORK, NY., September 18, 2012 – On Saturday, October 6, 2012, over 1200 bookstores and libraries across the United States will host events in celebration of a national Star Wars Reads Day.  Star Wars Reads Day is an initiative of Lucasfilm and its publishing partners to celebrate reading and Star Wars.  Participating publishers include Abrams, Chronicle Books, Dark Horse Comics, Del Rey, DK, Klutz, Random House Audio, Scholastic, Titan Magazines, and Workman.

 

At Star Wars Reads Day events, officially participating bookstores and libraries will offer a range of activities such as raffle prizes; promotional giveaways; trivia; and more.  Sponsors for various raffle prizes include Thermos, Kotobukiya, Uncle Milton, Mimoco, and Comic Images.  Select events will feature appearances by the more than 30 Star Wars authors and artists located throughout the United States.  Participating authors include Chris Alexander, Aaron Allston, Tom Angleberger, Jeremy Barlow, Haden Blackman, Charles Boyd, Jeffrey Brown, Troy Denning, Dave Dorman, Ashley Eckstein, Alexander Freed, Jason Fry, Henry Gilroy, Christie Golden, Jeff Grubb, Paul Gulacy, Pablo Hidalgo, Hall Hood, Drew Karpyshyn, Rick Leonardi, Steven Melching, John Jackson Miller, John Ostrander, Chris Reiff, Matthew Reinhart, Mike Richardson, Ian Ryan, Chris Scalf, Lara Starr, Randy Stradley, Marc Thompson, Chris Trevas, Daniel Wallace, and Ryder Windham.

 

Nearly 1,000 volunteers from the international fan-based costuming organizations, the 501^st Legion, the Rebel Legion, the Mandalorian Mercs, and the R2 Builders Club will also participate at select Star Wars Reads events around the country. 

 

To help extend the celebration to readers everywhere, NBC’s The Today Show Charitable Foundation has signed on as the official charitable partner for Star Wars Reads Day. Each participating publisher will donate Star Wars books from their respective libraries, and The Today Show Charitable Foundation will distribute the books to their affiliate organizations nationwide.

 

“Star Wars Reads Day is the perfect way to celebrate with our Star Wars fans” says Carol Roeder, Director of Publishing at Lucasfilm. “Our publishing program has always been an essential component of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, as there are so many more stories to tell than what we experience in the films, TV series, and games.  We at Lucasfilm are proud to be a part of initiatives like Star Wars Reads Day and hope that it will encourage more young people to read.”

 

There are currently over 120 million Star Wars books in print and more than 110 Star Wars titles have been New York Times bestsellers.

 

For a list of Star Wars Reads Day events visit the following link: http://www.starwars.com/reads/