The Bookseller to highlight books impacted by Covid-19

The Bookseller will begin this week to republish its May and June previews showcasing titles that have been rescheduled, as a result of the lockdown, as well as those that are still being published during those months. The initiative is part of a wider strategy to help high street booksellers get back to work quickly, should the government indicate a change to which shops can re-open as the corona virus crisis moves into a new phase.

According to analysis by The Bookseller of past previews, about half of all new titles scheduled for May and June have been moved, causing a headache for booksellers, literary editors and the wider media. A number of those affected have now contacted The Bookseller to seek revised new title information. In addition to republishing the previews in print, the May and June previews are also being updated online.

A new special "corona" preview is to be published on 12th June, featuring titles that have moved out of May, June, and July that are now due to be published in the autumn and winter; the intention is to prepare the trade for the welter of new books that have been pushed into what is already a busy period for the business. The Bookseller has also asked publishers to supply consolidated lists of moved titles with the aim of creating an easily accessible list of such books. Publishers may also submit titles to the special preview separately (details below).

The Bookseller has also extended the submission deadline for its Autumn and Winter Buyer's Guides, with publishers encouraged to input their titles to the comprehensive database of forthcoming publications before 11th May. The guides, published on 24th July cover those books to be published between 1st August 2020 and 31st January 2021, and will include highlight sections based on titles impacted by the coronavirus lockdown.

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller, said: "New and revised title information has never been more vital, especially as booksellers begin to think about reopening their shops, and kick-starting their book ordering. From the revised May and June previews featuring our expert selections, to the comprehensive Buyer's Guides, the aim is to provide as much information as we are able to about what books are currently available to order, and which are coming along a bit further down the track. The special corona virus preview will be particularly useful for those looking for a guide to what is now looking like a huge autumn, and will complement The Bookseller's regular Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children's and Paperback Previews that provide curated selections for booksellers and the media."

For editorial or submission enquiries to the Buyer's Guides, please email buyers.guide@thebookseller.com. To submit consolidated lists of moved titles, or to submit such titles to the corona virus preview, email Tamsin.Hackett@thebookseller.com. For advertising enquiries, please email Emma.Lowe@thebookseller.com or Gerard.Ohare@thebookseller.com.