Shortlist revealed for New Futures bookshop programme

Jacaranda and The Black Feminist Bookshop are among those shortlisted for the New Futures programme to encourage people from underrepresented communities to open a new independent bookshop.

The programme was jointly launched by Bookshop.org and The Booksellers Association (BA) last autumn. In total 32 groups applied, and were whittled down to a 16-strong shortlist including Black collectives, indie publishers, mental health advocates, visually and hearing impaired individuals, trained nurses, PhD students, members of the queer and transgender community, and bilingual lovers of literature in translation.

The shortlist includes: Jacaranda in Brent, London; The Black Feminist Bookshop in south-east London; The Otaku Project in Cardiff; GCL Books in Alton, Hampshire; Yellow Bird Book Club in Beeston, Nottingham; Atypicalreader in Edmonton, London; and Elizabeth Yates of Carlisle.

Also shortlisted are: Olive’s Book Club in Newcastle; Bookwyrm in Durham; Books Bakes Blethers in Dunfermline (pictured); Ellen Tout in Canterbury; Therapy in Progress in west Croydon, London; OKHA, the queer and Black book club, in Stratford, London; 7 Pages in West Sussex; westwords of Greenock/Gourock, Scotland; and Community Books in Maida Vale, London.

The judges are made up of novelist, screenwriter and journalist Nikesh Shukla; founder and c.e.o. of Beautystack and the Stack World Sharmadean Reid; HarperCollins’s talent and audience development manager Nancy Adimora; The Bookseller editor Philip Jones; Fleur Sinclair of Sevenoaks Bookshop; and Mairi Oliver, owner and bookseller at Lighthouse Bookshop in Edinburgh.

Adimora said: “I was blown away, not only by the quality of the submissions we received, but by how they reaffirmed the need for a programme like this. I’m incredibly proud of this shortlist and I’m looking forward to the next phase of this programme which will see applicants receiving the support needed to turn their ideas into reality.” 

Sinclair added: “This is such an important project to be a part of and I’m so pleased it exists! Work with regards to inclusion and representation is so important in all areas of society and life. As a bookseller, I’m keen to use any knowledge and experience I have to help encourage new booksellers and bookshops into being that better reflect the whole of the reading community.” 

All 16 shortlisted candidates will now receive a series of hands-on sessions through a concentrated education programme from industry partners in retail, technology and the book trade, including the Booksellers Association, Gardners, The Bookseller, Midas and publishers including Simon & Schuster and Faber & Faber.  

The aim of the education sessions is to support candidates as they build a viable business plan for a multichannel bookshop. The programme will include sessions on market analysis, marketing strategy, logistics and operations, team management, financials, curation and merchandising, digital marketing, PR activity and more. 

Nicole Vanderbilt, UK m.d. of Bookshop.org, said: “It’s encouraging to see so many aspiring booksellers sharing their vision and plan to open their own independent bookshop. As part of our mission to support independent booksellers and help them thrive, we are looking forward to delivering our well-planned education programme to the shortlistees, giving them invaluable tools as they progress through their journey towards opening a brand new independent bookshop in their local community.” 

The New Futures finalists will be announced this spring during The London Book Fair.