Independent bookshops at 'healthiest point in decades' as Bookshop of the Year winners unveiled

The British Book Awards has revealed the regional and country winners for the 2023 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, featuring winners including London’s Nomad Books and The Edinburgh Bookshop in Scotland.

Selected by the judges from 59 finalists announced last month, the award, sponsored by book wholesaler Gardners, celebrates those stores that continue to support their local communities with bespoke bookselling and tailored initiatives. 

Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller managing editor and chair of the Independent Bookshop of the Year judges, said: “Independent bookselling has come out of the other side of the pandemic at its healthiest point in decades; as a result our regional and country finalists for this year might be our strongest ever. The through line is innovation as all of the winners have experimented with new ways to expand their businesses to get books into more readers’ hands.

“Sometimes this is using new technologies, sometimes it is just plain old hard bookselling graft, but whatever tools they are using, it is backed by the algorithm-beating personal touch. What has been really cheering is that this is consistent across the board from, not just the newer shops, but the concerns that have been trading successfully for decades. The great indie booksellers in Britain and Ireland never sit back, they are always pressing forward.”

In South-West England, the winner is Bristol’s Storysmith, a regular finalist at the The British Book Awards. After opening in 2018, it has since moved to a larger venue, teaming up with external bookselling events, from music festivals to entomology conferences.

Meanwhile, Mostly Books in South-East England has been regional finalist for The British Book Awards five years in a row. It hosts a monthly online book club, The Mostly Books Cosy Club, and a podcast series where they talk to authors, journalists, poets and publishing professionals.

In East England, family-owned Niche Comics Bookshop has emerged victorious, having a strong presence in the Huntingdon community. The winner in the Midlands is The Rabbit Hole, a community-focused bookshop in Brigg, North Lincolnshire, especially passionate about books for children.

Wales winner Griffin Books is an independent bookstore in Penarth with a range of fiction and non-fiction titles. Praised for a rapid home delivery service, it runs author and book signing events, weekly toddler story time sessions, as well as book clubs.

The Edinburgh Bookshop is the Scotland winner for a fifth time, adding to its 2014 Children’s Bookseller of the Year trophy. In the London region, the winner is Nomad Books, which first opened its doors in 1990, and has cemented itself as a pillar of the London bookselling community.

Halfway up the Stairs, Island of Ireland winners, is one of the only children’s specialist bookshops in Ireland. Opening in 2019, it offers a carefully selected range of diverse, inclusive and topical books for children of all ages.

The nine regional and country winners are now in contention for the overall Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, announced at The British Book Awards ceremony at Grosvenor House London on Monday 15th May 2023. The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also compete to be crowned Book Retailer of the Year.

The Country and Regional winners in full:

East England: Niche Comics Books

Island of Ireland: Halfway up the Stairs

London: Nomad Books

Midlands: The Rabbit Hole

North England: Forum Books

Scotland: The Edinburgh Bookshop

South-East England: Mostly Books

South-West England: Storysmith

Wales: Griffin Books