Will browsing be allowed, or will we have to judge a book by its cover? With Waterstones and some indie shops set to open on 15 June, Alison Flood finds out what the plan isMelissa Davies had planned to fulfil a lifelong dream and open her independent bookshop, Pigeon Books, in Southsea, at the beginning of April. Those plans were put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic, but with a relaxation of lockdown rules from next week, bookshops will be able to open to customers – for the first time in over two months. Davies and her husband are now preparing for a very different sort of opening. “We had to quickly rethink our entire business plan and how we could operate, and now we’re gearing up to open our doors for the first time under really different circumstances,” she says. The tiny Pigeon Books will ask its browsing customers to use hand sanitiser, or wear gloves, before and after touching books, and will restrict the number of customers in the shop to two at a time.“We’re excited about opening but also worried about how we’re going to make it work and how we can keep ourselves and our customers safe,” Davies says. She continues to work full time in customer service, and to write (her first poetry collection, Pineapples in the Pool, was published by Unbound in 2018). “We’ll be opening with reduced hours for a few weeks to see how things go. We’re so nervous about it though. Who opens a bookshop in a pandemic?” Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2020-06-12 06:00:14 UTC ]
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but today is Tuesday. The only way I know that today is Tuesday is because all these new books are coming out today! So get excited, stay inside, order any of these titles from Bookshop if you’re so inclined, and maybe #BuyGiftCards to support your local... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-04-07 14:00:24 UTC ]
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DK and Walker have unveiled new initiatives to support families, readers, authors and illustrators during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-04-06 14:35:29 UTC ]
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For publishing companies to survive a global crisis like the one we're in, Rich Antoniello's formula is 'brand, plus brains, plus balance sheet." He would know, having stewarded Complex through the 2008 financial crisis as CEO, the role he still holds now. But compared to that, the downturn... Continue reading at Digiday
[ Digiday | 2020-03-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Among the big books that sold this week are a true crime tale by a rural doctor, a new novel by three-time Edgar winner T. Jefferson Parker, and a poetry collection by a Stranger Things cast member. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Andersen Press has partnered with Seven Stories to provide weekly virtual story times free of charge throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-27 00:51:01 UTC ]
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We’ve already brought your attention to the ways you can help bookstores (and bookstore workers) during the coronavirus pandemic, and here’s another one: a collective of recently laid-off booksellers has started an online storefront at Bookshop.org (in case you missed it, Bookshop is the new... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-25 15:14:23 UTC ]
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The Women's Prize for Fiction award ceremony has been postponed until September because of the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-25 08:46:16 UTC ]
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Edinburgh-based wholsesaler Bookspeed has closed its business during the coronavirus pandemic, saying it is unable to protect its warehouse workers with social distancing measures. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-24 05:06:40 UTC ]
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Binc, the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, has emerged as one of the few reliable sources of financial support for independent booksellers amid the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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A coalition of African-American independent booksellers and publishers convened a national video conference call to survey the state of black books around the country in the wake of the new coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The coronavirus pandemic has hit independent bookstores hard, with booksellers and other book workers now in need of emergency support. Here are some opportunities we’ve spotted to help out, but please let us know of any others and will add to the post. (Email [email protected].) The Book Industry... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-23 20:01:09 UTC ]
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Amazon’s “buy" pre-order buttons have been returned for upcoming titles, after they were removed from not-yet-published books for two days to prioritise stocking other high-demand items during the coronavirus pandemic. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-23 00:36:21 UTC ]
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THESE TIMES: Lit Hub editor Jonny Diamond on literary community in a time of global pandemic • Ysabelle Cheung on trying to write in Hong Kong during the rise of the novel coronavirus • Italian editor Sara Reggiani on life in lock-down • How to support your local bookstores during the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-21 11:30:33 UTC ]
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The impact of the coronavirus has seen the Booksellers Association issue a rallying cry to the trade, as many publishers enforce home working to safeguard staff. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-19 23:39:55 UTC ]
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Bookshop.org, an alternative to Amazon that shares proceeds from book sales with independent bookstores, will give more money to those stores in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on small businesses. Bookshop announced today that it would increase bookstore partners’ affiliate... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-18 15:09:12 UTC ]
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The winners of the regional and country round of the Independent Bookshop of the Year Award have been announced, with nine shops in contention for an overall prize of £5,000. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2020-03-17 14:37:10 UTC ]
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THESE TIMES: How to support your local bookstores during the coronavirus pandemic · What China’s literary community is reading during the pandemic · The first lines of 10 classic novels rewritten for social distancing · Can’t decide what to read? Tell us your favorites and we’ll recommend a... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-17 10:30:26 UTC ]
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I had a fight with my mother the other day. In the past we had argued on many things but never politics, because we’d seldom talked about it. The video call, which started with her asking me about the outbreak in the US, ended up opening my eyes to the chasm between me and the […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-17 08:49:21 UTC ]
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Though most bookstores are closing their doors to the public, you can still buy books from them! And because you believe in our shared responsibility to preserve the wellbeing of those most vulnerable among us, you’re staying home and reading books, right? This past weekend saw many book people... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2020-03-16 19:01:49 UTC ]
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The growing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the publishing industry came into view this week as some independent bookstores reported slowing sales and the number of book festival and author tour cancellations rose. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2020-03-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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