‘I’m giddy to be here’: the risk-takers who opened bookshops during Covid

More than 60 bookshops launched in the UK and Ireland in the past 18 months – but who would open one in a pandemic? We asked five to share their stories, while bestselling author Val McDermid remembers the bookshops of her youthWhen I was growing up in a small Scottish town, we had a bookshop that was utterly terrifying. The books were housed on high shelves behind counters staffed by intimidating assistants. If you didn’t go in knowing what you wanted, tough. There was no possibility of browsing. If I got a book token for my birthday or a school prize, I’d always pick a title I hadn’t read yet from a favourite author so I knew what to ask for. Chances were, they didn’t have it and it would have to be ordered. Cue pursed lips and a frown.Honestly, it’s a miracle that I ever managed to amass a book collection at all.Val McDermid’s new novel, 1979 (Little, Brown, £20), is published on 19 August Related: Shakespeare and Company: a 'socialist utopia masquerading as a bookstore' – in pictures Related: 10 independent bookshops you should visit worldwide: our readers recommend Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2021-08-15 11:00:06 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "‘I’m giddy to be here’: the risk-takers who opened bookshops during Covid"


Author of WHITE FRAGILITY Accused of Plagiarism

Bookshop gets into used books, guessing the 2024 NBA Long List for Fiction, and a couple of real bummer stories in today's book news. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-08-28 21:45:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


My weeks of reading hornily: steamy book sales have doubled – and I soon found out why

From fairy porn to romantasy via the Omegaverse, publishing is sexier than ever. The reason? A big shift in gen Z and millennial attitudes to respectability and shame ...I spent a fortnight reading nothing but smut and I don’t need to give you a reason. But since there is one, here it is:... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-08-06 04:00:33 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Durham's Letters Bookshop Transitions to Community-Owned Cooperative

Founded in 2013, Letters Bookshop in Durham, N.C., is transforming from a privately owned business to a community-supported cooperative, selling shares for $116, in an aim to sustain the store in amid a challenging retail environment. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-06 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Susan Minot on Lovers and Other Strangers

For the bestselling author, motherhood, erotic love, and obsession all go hand in hand. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-08-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Nicole Richie’s Reformed Party Princess Stars in New Estée Lauder Ad

Nicole Richie's claim to fame a few decades ago centered on her connected-at-the-hip relationship with debutante Paris Hilton, her co-starring role in their outlandish Fox reality show and her ability to crush the nightclub scene. Times have changed. The actress--who's... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-08-01 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Author Challenges ChatGPT to Writer a Better Beach Read

A bestselling author takes on the bots, Penguin Random House acquires a comics publisher, an epic bookstore roadtrip, and more. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-11 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


If You’re Going to Platform Extremists You Should At Least Check Their Facts

On June 21st, Threshold, a conservative imprint of Simon & Schuster, announced a new book deal with New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur and noted conspiracy theorist Vivek Ramaswamy. Although it’s rumored that Donald Trump passed him over for the role of running mate, Vivek... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-07-09 13:34:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Book Deals: Week of July 8, 2024

Bestselling author Mary Alice Monroe sells a new souther epic to Morrow, Hillary Clinton’s new memoir goes to Simon & Schuster, and more. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


How ‘Not Nothing’ by Gayle Forman Got Made

An inside look at the publication process for the bestselling author’s latest middle grade novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-07-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Chilling Crime Novels for Hot Summer Reading

🏆 These are the “it” books of the year so far.🏖️ Emily Henry became a bestselling author without book tours ... Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-28 15:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Unstoppable Rhys Bowen

At age 83, the bestselling author has written 150 books, travelled the world, and even palled around with Simon and Garfunkel. And she’s just getting warmed up. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Sarah Pekkanen Hears No Evil

The bestselling author is listening to your secrets—and possibly writing them into her next novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


7 Books Structured as Conversations

I love it when a text centers the dynamics of conversation. In my own life, talking to others gets me out of my head, and introduces me to possibilities I would never have dreamed of alone. I think of a quote by the activist Valerie Kaur, which my local bookshop has printed on some of […] The... Continue reading at Electric Literature

[ Electric Literature | 2024-06-12 11:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Karin Slaughter Won’t Fade to Black

The bestselling author’s unflinching crime novels dare to acknowledge the world as a dangerous place for women. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Appreciation: For 'Alienist' author Caleb Carr, rescuing a cat meant rescuing himself

Caleb Carr, a military historian and bestselling author of "The Alienist," made his last book a touching memoir of life and love with a feline companion. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-26 19:05:41 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Haunting of J. Courtney Sullivan

The bestselling author’s latest novel, The Cliffs, is a ghost story rooted in history. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Irish poetry publisher toasts new home in pub after crowdfunding campaign

Bookshop and arts centre run by Salmon Poetry is saved from closure after raising more than €60,000 from 700 individualsA bookshop and arts centre run by a prominent Irish poetry publisher has been saved from closure after a GoFundMe campaign raised more than €60,000 – enough to buy new premises... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-13 15:18:10 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Dame Shirley Conran obituary

Bestselling author of Lace and Superwoman and women’s editor for the Daily Mail and the Observer Shirley Conran, who has died aged 91, supplied interviewers with a multi-page CV, but her life could be summarised on a book dust jacket. All that was needed was her surname – from her first husband,... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 12:06:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Endnotes: ‘I Was a Teenage Slasher’ by Stephen Graham Jones

An inside look at the publication process for the bestselling author’s latest novel. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-10 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Shirley Conran, campaigner and ‘queen of the bonkbuster’, dies aged 91

Bestselling author of Lace and Superwoman turned her attention to helping people overcome anxiety about mathsShirley Conran, the author of Lace and Superwoman, has died aged 91, her son the designer Jasper Conran has announced.The bestselling “queen of the bonkbuster” was also the founder of the... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2024-05-09 18:48:22 UTC ]
More news stories like this