This report measures the impact of the Books Alive campaign on increasing interest and participation in reading and provides the industry with statistics and information to better promote reading and Australian writing. Books Alive is an Australian Government nationwide campaign to promote books and reading.

It is a $2 million Australian Government initiative administered by the Australia Council for the Arts. It was developed through the Australian Government's Book Industry Assistance Plan with initial funding of $8 million over four years for the development of a promotional campaign that could produce beneficial results for the book industry. The Government announced a renewal of $8 million funding for Books Alive in the 2005 budget to extend the campaign over the period 2006 to 2009.

The Books Alive model was developed by an Industry Reference Group, who investigated successful overseas book promotions, such as the Collective Promotion of the Dutch Book in The Netherlands, World Book Day in the UK and Get Caught Reading in the USA. The giveaway book model was studied with reference to the Dutch promotion.

As part of the 2008 Books Alive initiative, market research company Starcom was engaged to conduct research to measure the impact of the Books Alive campaign on increasing interest and participation in reading, to assist with the design of future Books Alive campaigns, plus provide the industry with much-needed statistics and information to better promote reading and Australian writing, in line with the stated goal of Books Alive.