Hachette UK authors come together to celebrate independent bookshops

Hachette UK has partnered with its authors for a cross-divisional social media campaign championing independent booksellers across the UK and Ireland. The campaign is in support of the Booksellers Association’s (BA) annual Independent Bookshop Week, for which Hachette UK is the headline and only publisher sponsor.

Now in its fourth year, the campaign will run for a week on Hachette UK’s social channels from 17th June, and centres around a series of videos from authors including Susie Dent, M W Craven, Clive Myrie, Cressida Cowell and Annie Macmanus. The authors share their favourite places to discover new books, and why independent bookshops are important to them.

To further mark the occasion, Hachette Children’s Group’s author Dean Atta has written a poem exclusively for the campaign, to be shared on social media. Hachette Children’s Group has also designed an exclusive How to Train Your Dragon tote bag, to mark the 20th anniversary of its release, as well as a range of material for bookshops based on books such as Heartstopper, Geomancer: In the Shadow of the Wolf Queen and Monsieur Roscoe in the City.

David Shelley, group c.e.o. of Hachette UK, said: “We’re proud to be partnering with the Booksellers Association for this campaign again. Independent bookshops are the beating heart of our industry and Independent Bookshop Week is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the vital work that they do, hand-selling books to readers.”

Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at BA, added: “We’re so pleased, and very grateful that Hachette UK continues to be our headline sponsor for Independent Bookshop Week. We can’t wait to see this year’s author videos, and all the in-store activity that Hachette UK has helped our members put together.”

Cowell, Children’s Laureate 2019-2022 and author of Which Way to Anywhere (Hachette Children’s Group), commented: “Independent bookshops are far more than just a place to shop. They are critical in encouraging children to love books and reading, not only by engaging with the families who walk through the door but also by working with schools, teachers and the wider community. I have met such brilliantly creative and hardworking booksellers over my 25 years as an author, and I’m hugely grateful for everything they do.”

Craven, author of Fearless (Little, Brown), said: “I’ve never visited an independent bookshop I didn’t like. They’re the first place I check out when I’m somewhere new, and usually the last place I leave. I could, and frequently do, spend hours chatting to the booksellers and customers. There’s something magical about that shared experience of a love of books that I will never tire of.”