How do I refer others to PBS?

Simply go to the "Spread the Word" page at PBS (under Community on the toolbar at the top of the site) to see a host of options for referring others to PaperBackSwap!

If you refer a new member* who then posts 10 books to his or her Bookshelf, you will receive a credit.

*Note that you do not earn referral credit for accounts at your own household, accounts that are not the first for the household, or accounts that violate the Terms of Use. Referred accounts need to complete registration and activate the accounts by providing all account information before referral credit will be granted.
The new member must give your PBS user email address OR your PBS Nickname at the time of registration to record you as his or her referrer. (Unless a "personalized" link is used--see below.)

On the Spread the Word page, you will find:

Linked email signatures, web icons and banners

Bookmarks and flyers to print out

Form emails to send to booklovers you know

All of the linked items can be personalized with one click!

This means that if someone clicks on your personalized link (a sig in an email you send them, for example, or an icon on your website), and registers at that time, you will be automatically recorded as the referrer!
You must be logged in to personalize your links.
To Personalize Links:
- Go to the Spread the Word page
  - Place your cursor over Community in the toolbar at the top of the site
  - Click Spread the Word in the menu that drops down
- Scroll down to see the button
- If you are logged in, your PBS User Email (or PBS Nickname if you have chosen one) will be auto-filled in the space to the left of that button
- Click

This will insert your user email (or PBS Nickname if you have chosen one) into the code for the links farther down on the page.

Scroll down and choose a linked item you want to use

Select-copy the code (all of it) in the box corresponding to the item you have chosen

Paste it into the appropriate place (your email sig, your website, etc.).

We do not have linked icons for emails yet, sorry; just for websites.

You will need to re-personalize the links each time you return to the Spread the Word page.

My Referrals: keep track of people you have referred:

You can keep track of your referrals on your My Referrals page
- My Referrals is accessible from a link at the top of My Account.
- To get to the My Referrals page:
  - Click My Account in the toolbar at the top of the site.
  - Click the link "My Referrals" in the yellow bar at the top of the My Account view.
On the My Referrals page:
- You can see who has Posted 10 books already, and who has not yet posted 10 books.
  - You can even see how many books they have left to Post to grant your referral credit!
- You can email a reminder to those who have not yet posted their first 10 books if you like

And don't forget Facebook!

You can share your PBS Nickname at Facebook and anyone who registers a new account can give your nickname while doing so, and record the referral
When you post a book to your account Bookshelf, you can share ("like") that posting, and anyone who clicks your shared link and orders the book from you at PaperBackSwap will order your copy (even if it is not first in line for requests).

Note the "tiered referral system" at PBS! in place on a trial basis beginning July 2007:

1 - 10 Referrals = 1 credit for each
11 - 20 Referrals = 1 credit + $0.50 PBS Money for each
21 - 35 Referrals = 1 credit + $0.75 PBS Money for each
36 - 50 Referrals = 1 credit + $1.00 PBS Money for each
51+ Referrals = 2 credits for each

Your previous referrals will not earn the bonus retroactively, but they will count to put you into a "starting tier", as of July 15, 2007, and your next referrals will earn the appropriate bonus. Your tier for referrals, and your appearance on the Top 50s list of referring members, will be based on the number of currently active accounts you have referred.

You do not earn referral credit for accounts at your own household.

Help Center - How do I refer others to PBS?