Well, not yet. Nearly. One month today, on Tuesday 3rd May 2011, we're going on something of a summer jolly taking in as much of the country as we can, spreading the good word(s) of independent bookselling and burning Kindles village by village. There will be pyres on the towpath and the celebratory pealing of church bells.

But some help is needed because, if we're honest, it is a voyage borne of not a little desperation. Forgive the following barrage of boating puns for a second and we shall HMS Endeavour to explain. When we opened the bookshop in 2009, everyone seemed to agree it was one hull of an idea. Or at least a novel idea. And then they would chuckle and repeat the word 'novel, get it? as in novel, get it?' til we got it and ha-ha'd politely. Our maiden year was great. Now, however, we are struggling to stay afloat. Our accounts are bilge, our profit margins as narrow as our beam. To put it politely, we are walking a very short plank indeed.

And we know we're not the only bookshop in deep water.* A few weeks ago London's brilliant Big Green Bookshop launched this appeal: http://woodgreenbookshop.blogspot.com/2011/02/please-help.html. And almost every day we read headlines like this: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/features/do-bookshops-have-a-future-2240874.html and this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2011/mar/09/farewell-secondhand-bookshops?INTCMP=SRCH which cause a horrible churning feeling in our stomachs that may or may not just be canal-side motion sickness.

So it's not good, really. Our Great Gatsby-pilfered "boats against the current" strap line is proving more apt by the day. Living off books is hard work. But not impossible, we hope. Which is why, for six months, we'll be doing just that. As well as using the shop in a normal way (browse, buy, byebye), you'll also be able to barter for our wares. You see, we're hoping to use zero money - yup, nought pence - for the duration of the trip and rely instead on swapping stock for food, accommodation and the odd shower en route. Of course, we'll have to employ legal tender to keep the boat full of diesel and the shelves in stock but, as far as living expenses go, our fate is entirely in your hands. In this way we can hopefully build up a healthier bank balance and some much-needed publicity to ensure our survival when we return to Staffordshire at the start of November.

A new sub-section of our website will be launching soon with details of our route and events we're planning along the way. If you live near any of our destinations, please come and visit. If you can offer oranges, noggins of rum, B&B or laundry facilities, even better. We have no kitchen on board, no bed, no shower. Worst of all, no toilet. It will be an arduous and smelly slog but please peg your noses and come out to support it however and wherever you can. In the meantime, it would be an enormous help if you could forward this link to all your friends and spread the message. You can also keep a weather eye open to preparations via Twitter and Facebook by clicking the relevant links on our homepage. The Book Barge has enjoyed (nearly) two very happy years of bobbing about and bookselling. Please help it continue while we're at large. Thank you kindly.

* End of painful wordplay.