‘We’re so nervous': England’s bookshops prepare to reopen on Monday

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 ]

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British Book Awards Program Names Nine Bookshop Shortlists

The Independent Bookshop of the Year category of the 2019 Nibbies has a 48-store shortlist and is broken into nine regions in its initial round. The post British Book Awards Program Names Nine Bookshop Shortlists appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives

[ Publishing Perspectives | 2019-02-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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International Prize for Arabic Fiction Shortlist Announcement

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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PEN America announces literary awards finalists 

The nonprofit organization PEN America announced the finalists for their annual literary awards on Thursday, with books by Ada Limón, Richard Powers, Tommy Orange and Ling Ma among the nominees. Powers' novel "The Overstory" and Limón's poetry collection "The Carrying" made the shortlist for the... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

[ Los Angeles Times | 2019-01-24 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The Mainstreet Trading Company triumphs as Britain’s Best Small Shop of 2018

An independent bookshop, The Mainstreet Trading Company’s Bookshop & Café, has been named Britain’s Best Small Shop of 2018. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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Doubleday buys Ella Risbridger collection for 'new moment in poetry'

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Indie bookshop Stripey Badger opens in Grassington

A mother and son team is opening an independent bookshop in a 400-year-old property in North Yorkshire. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2018-08-30 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Customers rally to support Imagined Things after shop's 'worst day'

An independent bookshop in Harrogate has experienced a "phenomenal" response to a desperate Twitter plea for sales after only taking £12.34 in a day. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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The right poetry collection for right now: Terrance Hayes' 'American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin'

Now’s the time for “American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin,” Terrance Hayes’ electric, new book. In his five previous poetry collections — “Muscular Music” (1999), “Hip Logic” (2002), “Wind in a Box” (2006), the National Book Award-winning “Lighthead” (2010) and “How to Be Drawn” (2015)... Continue reading at Los Angeles Times

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BookExpo 2018: Casement Welcomes Boydell & Brewer

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Waterstones U-turns over unbranded bookshop in Edinburgh

Stockbridge branch to open under Waterstones name rather than appearing independent Waterstones has backtracked on plans to open one of its new unbranded stores in a district of Edinburgh that is already home to an independent bookshop – following an outcry that included criticism from figures... Continue reading at The Guardian

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Picador publishes Tempest's 'deeply moving' third collection

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Costa Book of the Year: Helen Dunmore wins another award

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Costa Book of the Year Honor Goes to the Late Helen Dunmore

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2018 literary breakthrough: Kima Jones

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Waterstones to open five shops before Christmas

Waterstones is to open five new bookshops before Christmas – with three named after the area they are based in the spirit of an independent bookshop. Continue reading at The Bookseller

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BrandPost: Technology that Helps Meet Financial Customers Needs

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The Book Hive launches Page Against the Machine

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Claughan opens new bookshop in Halifax

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Chatto to publish 'fireball of a poet' Danez Smith

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