O'Farrell, Cowell and Rosoff headline IBW 2020

Hamnet author Maggie O'Farrell, How I Live Now writer Meg Rosoff and Waterstones children's laureate Cressida Cowell will feature during Independent Bookshop Week, online for the first time this year.

The week runs from 20th-27th June.

Rosoff will be joining a series of virtual events, "At Home with 4 Indies", created by booksellers from Book-ish, Linghams, Forum Books and Booka Bookshop. The series, which began as UK lockdown started has included Joe Wicks, Robert Webb David Baldacci and Marian Keyes.

Rosoff will also speak to ITV News arts editor Nina Nannar about her latest book The Great Godden, in conjuction with The Aldeburgh Bookshop. An early release of the new children's book will be available exclusively in indie bookshops during IBW, with signed copies and tote bags available for customers, before its general release in July. The event will be streamed live on the Aldeburgh Jubilee Hall website on 25th June.

O'Farrell will join the same series on 26th June.

Cowell will be holding a virtual bookshop tour on her social media channels, featuring a different indie for every day of the week. Bookshops confirmed so far are Mainstreet Trading, Little Ripon, Silverwood Events and Mr B's Emporium.

Damian Barr's Literary Salon will also be hosting a virtual bookshop tour everyday at 4 p.m., via Instagram, to discuss how the shop has coped with lockdown and the trader's ethos. Barr said: “Indie bookshops do so much for readers and writers—they’re the beating heart of publishing. It’s a joy to be able to celebrate a different indie every day for a week, in addition to our Indie Bookshop of the Month feature on Salon. I’ve been desperate for a bookshop browse during lockdown so this will give people a chance to get among the shelves again.”

To celebrate National Reading Group Day, which occurs on the first day of IBW, the Reading Agency will be encouraging literary groups and book clubs to to read Christy Lefteri's The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Lefteri will then have a live conversation with particpants via Facebook on 20th June.

Essayists and short story writers Steve Chambers and Luan Goldie will be doing a Facebook live event with Bookmarks Bookshop, alongside Emma Carrol in conjunction with Max Minerva's Books, The Book Nook and the Chicken and Frog shop.

Storyteller John Kirk will host a video-conferencing reading session of Roald Dahls' The Twits, hosted by the Chicken and Frog bookshop.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Andersen’s Not Now, Bernard, rapper, comedian and actor Ben Bailey Smith and Andersen Press founder Klaus Flugge will be doing a virtual storytime on indies’ social media channels throughout the week. Participating bookshops include The Bookcase, Lindum Books, Harbour Bookshop, Steyning Bookshop, Blue Bear Bookshop, Pickled Pepper Books, Chicken and Frog Browsers, Barnett Books, Little Ripon Bookshop and Westbourne Bookshop.

Bloomsbury is planning discounts for indie bookstores on several of its titles, including the Sunday Times bestseller Humankind by Rutger Bregman.

Thank You, Heroes, a new picture book celebrating key workers by Patricia Hegarty and Michael Emmerson will be release exclusively in indies from 20th June, ahead of wider publication in July. Publisher Little Tiger will be donating all publisher profits on UK sales to NHS charities.

In addition, The Betrayals by Bridget Collins, will be open for pre-orders starting from IBW, ahead of publication in November.

To celebrate the tenth book in his Claude series (publishing 15th October), author and illustrator Alex T Smith will offer a limited number of signed Claude prints exclusively for indies and their customers. He will also be designing "virtual bookshop windows" for five indies to use on their social media profiles.

This year IBW will see independent bookshops paired with publishers. Twinned business include Saraband Books paired with Sam Read Bookseller, Chinese literature specialist Sinoinst Books promoting Steyning Bookshop, Much Ado Books and Kemp Town Bookshop and Wrecking Ball Press partnering with The Rabbit Hole bookshop.

Bluemoose Books will also pair up with Bookish, Forum Books, Drake, The Book Corner and Kenny's.

Emma Bradshaw, head of campaigns at the BA, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted by the enthusiasm for Independent Bookshop Week 2020 from across the book trade. In this immensely challenging time, we hope that book lovers across the country will enjoy the many fantastic online events and exclusive editions on offer from indie bookshops, while remembering to choose bookshops and shop local.”