As well as all the normal enjoyment of seeing your book on a shop shelf, I’m also slightly amazed when I stop to think that it was only 12 months ago that Iberia was in the same notepad I’m yet to fill.
The m.d. of the Booksellers Association pays tribute to its members and the shop-floor staff who have ensured bookshops remain central to high streets.
It might seem odd for a magazine called The Bookseller to have a dedicated issue for “booksellers”, but this week’s issue is a dedicated one for, well, booksellers.
The New Futures Initiative - launched at the end of September and announced in The Bookseller - is a scheme to reach out to individuals from underrepresented groups and encourage them - through mentoring and tangible support - to open a bricks and mortar bookshop.
The pandemic altered where readers bought books and the types of titles they purchased—and it’s time publishers used their profits to help bookshops out.
This week a festive children’s book captured the heart of Lucy Bannerman at the Times while Peter Singer featured in reviews for his book on the life of a turkey.
More than 900 titles were mentioned in the press’ end-of-year highlights lists, with Booker favourites featuring prominently, fiction at the forefront, and US novelist Percival Everett leading the way with his reworking of Huckleberry Finn.
Mind, Body, Spirit books deserve more respect
After the shock: Kingsolver and Everett win at hope-filled 75th National Book Awards