Is there a detailed schedule of the readathon and do I have to follow it?
Yes, our schedule/s can be found HERE.
There is a general readathon schedule, then a week-by-week daily breakdown.
You are welcome to follow the schedule, or to come up with one of your own, but it is just a guideline. Just do what suits you best.
 

Why should I join the readathon? I can just read the books myself?
It is an absolutely magical experience to reread the books along with a bunch of other people. Guaranteed fun is to be had, opinions shared and many friendships created. Not only that, but you get to delve headlong into the books again to relive the magic and rediscover all of the forgotten moments. You might even pick up on new things that others have shared.
 

Will the films be a part of the readathon? And, are we going to watch them together?
No, they are not a part of the readathon. In addition to that, the Fantastic Beasts films and screenplays are no longer a part of the readathon. You are, however, most welcome to watch them in your own time.
Due to time zones, we would not be able to watch them together anyway. Time zones make everything messy.
 

You've mentioned going "back to basics". What does that actually mean? What can we expect from this year's readathon?
As we are celebrating our fifth birthday, we thought a "back to basics" approach would be best. This means that instead of focusing on the extracurricular/challenge parts of the readathon, all we are going to aim to do is read. The interactive part of the readathon will now be a question-based approach.
We still have our Final Week, which is traditionally a time for readathoners to catch up with their reading if they've fallen behind. There will also be surprises this week leading to the end of the readathon.
We will also bring back our Twibbons (Twitter ribbon), which allows readathoners over on Twitter to add a little HPR to their logos to show off that they're doing the readathon. The Twibbon is expected to be released the weekend before the readathon begins.
 

What if I'm busy in the first few weeks of the readathon and can't join? Can I join halfway through? Do I have to join in with everything planned?
We have always told people that they can join whenever they like. The readathon is not contractual, people come and leave whenever it suits them. So, if you’re busy during the first half, do what you have to do, but you’re always welcome to join when you’re less busy.
After the chaos of the last few years, the plan is to make reading a priority. So, if you’re here just for the read, fantastic - you’re achieving the purpose of the readathon. The interactivity is just an add-on, something to enhance the reading experience, so we recommend participating in a few (if you can’t do all). If you are able to take that on, that’s great too - you’ll really become a part of the readathon community.
 

What time zone will the readathon run on? Will I be able to participate in everything?
The readathon will run on BST (British Summer Time), which is GMT+1.
As there will be no extracurricular activities nor quizzes throughout the readathon this year, time zones aren't going to be much of a problem. If something comes up, we will always aim to run things so that it is convenient for the bulk of our readathoners, but will keep in mind that our readathoners do come from around the world, which means that sleep sacrifices may have to be made (even by the hosts!).
 

Which hashtag do I use?
Our main hashtag is: #HPReadathon2019. We're going to keep it simple this year and just stick with that one.
 

I've heard that you've had HPR tokens before. Will there be one
this year?
You're right. Back in 2017, we had HPR bookmarks that were sold to promote the
readathon. Since this year is our fifth birthday, we have collabed with Made in 
Starburg to bring you guys some cute HP pins! You can also get free shipping until
the end of the readathon by putting in this code at the checkout:
"HPREADATHON2019"! Check them out here.
 

What's the best way to contact you?
Head over to our CONNECT page to find out all the deets to get in touch.