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A record number of 77 independent bookshops across nine different regions and countries have been named regional and country finalists for Independent Bookshop of the Year at The British Book Awards this year. The award, which is sponsored by book wholesaler Gardners and supported by The Booksellers Association, celebrates bookshops at the centre of local communities.
Independent bookshops from London, North England, Scotland, South-East England and South-West England are vying for the award, alongside others from East England, the Midlands, the Island of Ireland and Wales.
The shops will compete to win in their region, with winners announced on Tuesday 12th March. They will then contend for the overall prize, which will be announced at the ceremony held at Grosvenor House London on Monday 13th May 2024.
The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also be in the running to be crowned Book Retailer of the Year. Previous overall winners- including Nottingham’s Five Leaves Bookshop in the Midlands and Crickhowell’s Book-ish in Wales- have returned as finalists this year.
“One of the things that is driven home by the selection process for this award is how lucky book buyers in the UK and Ireland are as we are truly in an independent bookshop renaissance,” said Tom Tivnan, managing editor at The Bookseller. “This year’s cohort is one of the strongest I have seen in my 15 years judging this award. Indies have come out of the pandemic and into a cost-of-living and business rates crises, yet still through innovation and creativity thrive as never before.”
Edinburgh Bookshop in Scotland and Forum Books in Corbridge, North England, will be seeking a hat-trick, having been crowned regional winners both in 2022 and 2023. Other regional winners from last year who are also among this year’s finalists include Brigg’s The Rabbit Hole in the Midlands, Mostly Books in Abingdon, South-East England, and Niche Comics Bookshop in Huntingdon, East England.
Bookshops fuelled by a specialist knowledge continue to flourish, with the regional and country finalists including Round Table Books CIC in South-West London and Bishops Castle’s Poetry Pharmacy in the Midlands, as well as Brighton’s Afrori Books in South-East England and Manchester’s House of Books and Friends in North England. Specialist children’s bookshops Norwich’s Bookbugs and Dragon Tales in East England, Children’s Bookshop in North London and Hereford’s The Children’s Bookshelf in the Midlands also continue to be celebrated.
Ruth Gardner, Gardners’ UK sales manager, said: “We are proud to be sponsoring the Independent Bookseller of the Year award for the 15th consecutive year! Each year throws up new challenges and it great to see so many bookshops adapt and change to meet these challenges. We know it hasn’t been easy for many, but it’s amazing to see so many thriving.”
Tivnan added: “You can’t really pin these indies down as they encompass general booksellers and those who sell into niches; or new shops which have bravely opened in the shadow of the pandemic to businesses that have literally been trading for centuries. But if there is a through-line it is that their collective knowledge and passion shine through and prove once again how much better shop floor expertise is than an algorithm.”
East England
Island of Ireland
London
Midlands
North England
Scotland
South-East England
South-West England
Wales