My big Birmingham bookshop crawl: why booksellers are suddenly thriving

In 2009, two bookshops a week were closing in the UK and the days of physical books seemed numbered. Now, indie stores are booming. What explains the turnaround – and can it be sustained?When Sarah Mullen was asked to set up a children’s book festival in a leafy suburb of Birmingham in 2012, she couldn’t find an independent bookseller to run the bookstall. “So we all rolled up our sleeves and did it ourselves,” she says. Pregnant with her third child, she had recently given up her job as a solicitor to work for the Bournville Village Trust. Mullen’s task was to set up the Bournville BookFest, which ran for 10 years before being brought to a halt by the Covid pandemic. But far from accepting defeat, she rolled up her sleeves once again and “pivoted the whole thing into a bookshop”. Two years on, the Bookshop on the Green is thriving – a living rebuttal to the once widely held idea that the digital era meant certain death for the neighbourhood bookstore.When I visit early on a Friday morning, a turquoise vintage Smith Corona typewriter holds centre stage in the Bookshop on the Green. Beside it stands Bradley Taylor, a poet whose job is to write poems on demand for anyone who asks. He has composed a lot of Batman and football poems for the children who pile in on Saturdays, he says, before sitting down to tap one out for me about the joy of bookshops. In the multitasking tradition of small retailers, Taylor also works in the shop. He made his cosplay debut last month as the... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-07-27 09:00:32 UTC ]

Other news stories related to: "My big Birmingham bookshop crawl: why booksellers are suddenly thriving"


This charming new children’s book uses data viz to teach kids about emotions

Cowritten by Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi, ‘This is Me and Only Me’ helps kids process their experiences through data. In a new children’s book from Pentagram partner Giorgia Lupi and her coauthor, Madeleine Garner, data collection is presented as a beautiful way for kids (and adults) to... Continue reading at Fast Company

[ Fast Company | 2024-07-22 09:15:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Children’s Book Deals of Amazon Prime Days

Today is the last day to snap up these Prime Day deals on some of the best kids' books. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-17 15:40:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


‘Frankfurt Kids’: A Children’s Book Conference at the Buchmesse

The 'Frankfurt Kids' program on October 16 will feature issues in children's book publishing, social responsibility and accessibility. The post ‘Frankfurt Kids’: A Children’s Book Conference at the Buchmesse appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-07-10 21:50:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this


10 Of The Best New Children’s Books Out July 2024

From richly detailed fantasies to silly early reader graphic novels that will make kids laugh, there’s something for every reader on this list of July children’s book releases. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-07-05 10:30:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for June 26, 2024

Winnie-the-Pooh, Olympic childhoods, a magical janitor's closet, and more of today's best children's book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-06-26 15:22:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Column: Anthony Fauci has a right to savage Trump. His memoir takes a different and telling approach

The physician and researcher who weathered the COVID pandemic, the HIV/AIDS crisis and countless Republican conspiracy theories has a new book. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-06-23 10:30:27 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Prix Albertine Jeunesse 2024 Honors Three Children’s Book Translations

The reader's choice Prix Albertine Jeunesse is selected by students, this year in more than 700 classes in accredited bilingual programs. The post Prix Albertine Jeunesse 2024 Honors Three Children’s Book Translations appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-06-13 21:46:59 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


Singapore’s New Children’s Book Festival: 2024 Award Shortlists

The 12th edition of the Singapore Book Awards announces its shortlist, with the winner to be presented at the first Singapore Children’s Book Festival later this month. The post Singapore’s New Children’s Book Festival: 2024 Award Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-06-05 19:26:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this


On World Environment Day, Disney Debuts Planet Possible Books Program

The Walt Disney Company has announced a new children’s book program, Planet Possible Books, on World Environment Day, June 5. The program will publish three to four books a year. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-06-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Former Katharine Hepburn townhouse lists on historic Turtle Bay block

The Turtle Bay townhouse where late actress Katharine Hepburn lived for decades is looking for a taker.The four-bedroom property at 244 E. 49th St., between Second and Third Avenues, is asking $7.2 million, according to an ad that appeared this month. The 19-foot-wide home has six fireplaces, an... Continue reading at Crains New York

[ Crains New York | 2024-05-28 16:54:26 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


Frankfurt Joins European Network for Youth Reading Events and Festivals

A new concerted effort, opened during Bologna Children's Book Fair by the Montreuil Children’s Book Fair, has 15 publishing event producers. The post Frankfurt Joins European Network for Youth Reading Events and Festivals appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-05-03 01:02:49 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for May 1, 2024

Jedi youngling adventures, anti-racism for kids, a disinformation toolkit, and more of today's best children's book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-05-01 14:39:01 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for April 24, 2024

Marker magic, rainforest discovery, Critter Club, a pangolin girl, and more of today's best children's book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-04-24 14:45:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this


The Best Children’s Book Deals of the Day for April 17, 2024

A guide to making friends with cats, a monster under the sink, an award-winning middle grade novel, and more of today's best kids' book deals. Continue reading at Book Riot

[ Book Riot | 2024-04-17 14:41:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


5 Questions for Ethel Rohan, by Michelle Johnson

5 Questions for Ethel Rohan, by Michelle Johnson Interviews [email protected] Tue, 04/16/2024 - 08:28 Ethel Rohan’s second novel, Sing, I, was published by TriQuarterly Books on April 15. The novel’s heroine, Ester Prynn, works in a convenience... Continue reading at World Literature Today

[ World Literature Today | 2024-04-16 13:28:17 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bologna Children’s Book Fair Closes With 31,735 Trade Visitors

The Bologna Children's Book Fair reports 31,735 trade visitor attendees in 2024, an increase of 10 percent over 2023. The post Bologna Children’s Book Fair Closes With 31,735 Trade Visitors appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-11 17:33:28 UTC ]
More news stories like this


Bologna 2024: Indigenous Literacy Foundation Wins Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award

Australia’s Indigenous Literacy Foundation is the winner of the 2024 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, the world’s largest children’s book prize, with the laureate receiving five million Swedish krona. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this


To Live Long and Prosper, Do What George Takei Does

For the “Star Trek” actor and author of the new children’s book “My Lost Freedom,” it’s all about green tea and antioxidants. “I drink it every day, all day. I am an addict,” he says. Continue reading at The New York Times

[ The New York Times | 2024-04-06 09:03:19 UTC ]
More news stories like this