Prescott wins BA award for outstanding contribution 

Former Blackwell’s c.e.o. David Prescott has been awarded the Booksellers Association award for Outstanding Contribution.

Prescott, who left the chain following its takeover by Waterstones, was named as a key figure in the industry at the awards, which were announced at the BA’s annual conference on 31st October. Originally scheduled for September, the conference was rescheduled following the death of the Queen, and took place at Jurys Inn Hinckley Island in Leicestershire.

For the first time, the BA Conference Awards celebrated an Author of the Year, with English comedian, actor and author Robin Ince receiving the inaugural award. Matson Taylor also received a special mention for The Miseducation of Evie Epworth (Scribner). 

The Sophie Christopher Award for Publicist of the Year went to Najma Finlay, publicity director at Cornerstone. In addition, Alison Barrow, PR director at Transworld, received a special mention.

The Rep of the Year Award was renamed the John Faiers Rep of the Year Award in memory of John Faiers, who passed away unexpectedly this year. The award went to Martin Myers, who previously worked at PRH.

The winners of the annual awards are nominated by booksellers across the country, with 377 votes cast this year.

Meryl Halls, m.d. at the BA, said: “Bookshops play a vital role in putting books in the hands of readers; in giving publishers and authors a physical space where they can connect with members of the public; in fostering a love of books in new readers. There are so many people across the publishing sector whose work to support bookshops and booksellers is hugely appreciated by the sector as a whole. We are thrilled to honour just a few of the individuals who work so hard to support bookshops today, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each of them on behalf of the nation’s bookshops.

“In particular, we wanted to use this moment to highlight just how much the bookselling sector appreciates and values reps, and to reiterate our call for publishers to retain a strong nationwide force of reps who know their customers and who act as a vital interface in getting their books and authors to the attention of booksellers to put into the hands of book-lovers.

“It has been a joy to gather in person at the BA Conference and Gardners Trade Show again this year. The past year has been a time of great political and economic uncertainty. Ensuring that we continue to work together closely as a sector, while amplifying the voices of our membership, is more important than ever.”