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 ]
Naomi Fry writes about Judith Ker’s children’s book “Mog the Forgetful Cat,” and also about “The Tiger Who Came to Tea.” Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2019-06-20 09:00:00 UTC ]
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HarperCollins Children’s Books will this October start publishing a young fiction series set in a magical werewolf world. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-20 00:29:34 UTC ]
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Children’s booksellers “out in public” encounter their young customers everywhere. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-19 12:00:26 UTC ]
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During Independent Bookshop Week, author Clare Mackintosh pens a letter in praise of bookshops and booksellers. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-19 07:08:54 UTC ]
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Independent Bookshop Week is in full swing with events up and down the country as Booksellers Association research reveals 82% of indie booksellers had a different career prior to owning or working in their bookshop. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-06-17 02:50:48 UTC ]
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ABA’s premier children’s bookselling event is on track to be the largest yet as it heads to the City of Bridges for Quidditch and education. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Booksellers weigh in on the controversial issue of publishers postponing and pulling books in response to criticism. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Close to 70 children’s book creators will be in Pittsburgh to meet with booksellers at educational sessions, signings, and receptions. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-14 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Jia Tolentino writes about the children’s book “The Westing Game,” by Ellen Raskin. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2019-06-13 16:15:43 UTC ]
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An attorney for former Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh said she has now fulfilled her end of a 2017 deal in which the University of Maryland Medical System paid her $100,000 for 20,000 copies of her self-published “Healthy Holly” children’s books. Pugh “has 100 percent performed her... Continue reading at Baltimore Sun
[ Baltimore Sun | 2019-06-11 09:00:00 UTC ]
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MVB US is offering a special promotion to independent booksellers who want to take advantage of the company's Pubeasy and Pubnet services for direct ordering and communication with publishers. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-06-11 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Mike Trout is not setting parameters for any potential negotiations between himself and the Angels. The All-Star outfielder said Friday morning, some 18 hours after the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to sign free agent Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330-million contract, that, in an ideal world, he... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-03-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The shortlist for the 2019 International Prize for Arabic Fiction was announced today at the El-Hakawati Palestinian National Theatre in East Jerusalem. The IPAF - often referred to as the ‘Arabic Booker’ - is an annual literary prize for prose fiction, which encourages the readership of... Continue reading at British Council global
[ British Council global | 2019-02-05 16:33:45 UTC ]
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On Friday morning, Politico reported that "exasperated" Democratic leaders on the Hill were aiming to "rein in" congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2019-01-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond will use today's Budget to announce a £1.5bn package of support for the High Street, including £900m in business rate relief, according to widespread reports. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The winner of Vintage's Independent Bookseller of the Year award is James Routledge from Forum Books and Kids in Corbridge, Northumberland. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2018-10-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Emcee Jacqueline Woodson set the tone right away for Friday morning’s children’s book and authors breakfast at BookExpo, explaining, “Through our narratives, we’re trying to change this crazy world.” Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2018-06-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Austin Barnes pulled up a chair beside Yasmani Grandal’s locker on Friday morning. They are united but divided, competitors aligned as a duo, and so they swapped strategy on receiving and framing and blocking. At one point, Grandal hopped up to pantomime a peg to second base. Barnes rose from his... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2018-02-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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It's official: Time Inc. has not found a buyer -- and is no longer considering offers. In an announcement that put a cap on months of speculation over who would buy the publishing giant and when, Time Inc. said Friday morning that the "Company will continue to pursue its strategic plan."The... Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2017-04-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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