The annual black-tie event held at London's Park Lane Hilton yesterday evening (13th May) saw Random House Group chief executive Dame Gail Rebuck and her team honoured with the top publishing gong. The Foyles team lead by c.e.o. Sam Husain celebrated the company's second National Bookseller of the Year gong in a row, while Children's Independent Bookseller of the Year went to Octavia's Bookshop in Cirencester and The Independent Bookseller of the Year award to Linghams in Heswall.

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As the number of independent bookshops registered for Independent Booksellers Week nears an unprecedented 350, the Booksellers Association has announced a range of select limited edition collectible items which will be available only in independent bookshops during Independent Booksellers Week (29^th June – 6^th July).
 
Works by Ann Patchett, who has written an essay in praise of bookshops, JRR Tolkien and Agatha Christie, are just few of the items on offer, and they will be joined by innovative Written Word limited edition prints from Independent Alliance publishers, featuring handwritten extracts from leading works by Robert MacFarlane, Yann Martel, Simon Armitage and Mark Forsyth, produced on high quality stock and appealing to the book-loving collector.
 
Bookshop customers will also find a facsimile pocket hardbacks of Roverandom by J.R.R Tolkien (Harper Collins), a facsimile edition of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (HarperCollins), Letters to Klaus, a collection of never-before seen envelope art from letters sent to Andersen Press founder and publisher Klaus Flugge ornamented by leading illustrators (Andersen Press), a Tour de France exclusive vintage poster with book (Quercus), Clandestine Cake Clubs limited edition recipe booklet (Quercus).  In addition, booksellers are also receiving deals from Orion and Penguin/Puffin allowing them to offer backlist titles to customers at special IBW prices – deals include Penguin & Puffin Classics, and a debut author/children’s first in series range from Orion.
 
There will also be a tempting collection of Children’s Collectibles on offer such as limited gift editions of There, There by award-winning Sam McBratney, Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner and of Judith Kerr’s classic children’s favourite The Tiger Who Came To Tea, as well as some very special events with Illustrators in Residence at bookshops across the UK, courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s Books and a fabulous interactive Find Wally Hunt by the publishers of Where’s Wally, Walker Books.
 
 Meryl Halls, Head of Membership Services at the BA, commented: “We introduced the IBW Bookseller Collectibles range last year, and the feedback we had from booksellers, publishers and the public was extremely positive. This year we have worked with as many publishers as possible to expand the range in size and scope. We are proud to be able to offer some really special limited editions, for both adult and children, and hope the Collectibles and the other associated interactive projects on offer from publishers will attract customers both old and new into bookshops across the country during the Week.”
 
New this year, the BA has also secured a media partnership for IBW with Archant Life publishing. The Archant “Life” series covers most English counties and is read by a combined audience of 2.1 million. A double page spread devoted to IBW will run in the June/July editions of the 24 county “Life” magazines. The BA is working with individual bookshops and publishers to secure further editorial opportunities such as bookshop profiles, event listings, local author interviews, and summer reading recommendations. Special rates are also available for bookshops and publishers who choose to advertise in the IBW edition.

More information on all offers being made to bookshops for IBW can be found at www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk 
 

The BA’s 2013 Non Book Product showcase will take place on the 20th May at The Oxford Hotel. 

The hotel is near Oxford city centre (just 2 miles), and sits just off the A34 and A40, and minutes from the M40.

The day will commence at 10am and finish at 4.30pm.  
The Showcase is intended to bring together a selection of companies providing goods and services which are complementary to books, whether because they are book-related, or simply enhance the bookselling offer. 
As well as a showcase with over 30 non book product suppliers ranging from chocolate, to stationery and games, there will be presentations on the practical aspects of sourcing, stocking and selling non book product.

Click here to download the programme.

Click here to book your place or email naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk

A campaign for bookshops devised by M&C Saatchi to be launched at The London Book Fair on 16^th April.

BOOKS ARE MY BAG will be launched to the trade at The London Book Fair with a presentation on Tuesday 16th April at 4pm by Patrick Neale (President of the Booksellers Association), Gail Rebuck (Chairman and CEO of Random House Group) and Lord Maurice Saatchi.  The campaign slogan will be revealed on a cloth bag designed by M&C Saatchi, along with the website and the mission statement. 

The campaign will be launched to the consumer in September and run through to Christmas. Visitors to the fair will be able to sign a `BOOKS ARE MY BAG’ wall naming their favourite bookshop or describing what their local bookshop means to them.  All visiting authors to the fair will be photographed with the bag for later use in the autumn campaign.

The concept of the BOOKS ARE MY BAG campaign is fun and simple – to crystallize and strengthen the link between a passion for books and bookshops.  All booksellers, chain, independents and publishers are coming together and speaking with one voice to celebrate the pleasure and cultural importance of the high street bookshop.
 
BOOKS ARE MY BAG will be launched to the consumer on Saturday, 14th September. BOOKS ARE MY BAG canvas bags will be given away by participating retailers and supported by a celebrity-led photo campaign.    
 
The BA will be sending to all BA members full details of how booksellers can get involved with BOOKS ARE MY BAG – including how to order bags – immediately following The London Book Fair. Booksellers can register to receive free bags and PoS and order additional bags at cost. At launch booksellers will have access to an extensive photo-library of the celebrities supporting the campaign.

BA members will be able to order bags online at the campaign website www.booksaremybag.com or you can download the bags order form here.  You can also view the the Trade Launch invite here.
 
Patrick Neale (President of the Booksellers Association) said: “Anybody who knows me knows how passionate I am about my bookshop and about the relationship between bookshops, their customers and their communities. We all know that there are many ways to buy and sell books but what BOOKS ARE MY BAG captures and celebrates is the physical; the simple truth that bookshops do more physically to let people enjoy their passion for books. I am so delighted by the support we are seeing from across the whole of bookselling and publishing for this campaign on behalf of bookshops.”
 
An impressive number of publishers and retailers have already pledged their support for the campaign, including Random House, Hachette, Penguin, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, Bloomsbury, the Faber Alliance, Egmont, Wiley, Waterstones, WH Smiths, Easons and Independent booksellers
 
James Lowther (Founding Partner of M & C Saatchi ) said  “When you buy a book from a bookshop, you get a possession that you may well value for the rest of your life. You’ll have enjoyed the pleasure of browsing other books before making your choice. You may well have got advice about it from someone who loves books even more than you do, the bookseller on the other side of the counter.
And you will have partaken in a process that is a vital part of our culture, our community and our High Street.  This bag is designed to encourage the most important people, the book reading public, to assert their love and support for bookshops and encourage others to do so. It says “I use bookshops because I value them.  And I want it to stay that way”.
 
Gail Rebuck (Chair and CEO of Random House) said: “Bookshops are of great cultural importance to the country at large and the communities which they serve.  In these challenging times for the UK High Street, it is terrific that a world renowned advertising company – M&C Saatchi – has devised such a positive campaign for all booksellers.  This initiative focuses on the art of the possible and will celebrate the simple joy of browsing – and, of course, reading books.”

We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Independent Booksellers Week Book Award 2013 (IBW Book Award), supported by independent bookshops across the country.

Publishers were invited to submit titles from which independent members of the BA selected their best ten adult and twelve children’s books for 2013. The winning books will be chosen by two judging panels comprised of authors, broadcasters and booksellers, and chaired by BA President Patrick Neale.

The IBW Book Award is unique amongst book prizes as it is the only award chosen by independent booksellers in the UK.

IBW Book Award 2013 – Adult Shortlist

 IBW Book Award 2013 – Children’s Shortlist 

 ‘Independent booksellers have picked a fantastic cross-section of titles this year. Both shortlists include real variety, with debut authors featuring alongside established names and even a previous winner.  It will be fascinating to see the judges’ final selections.’ - Meryl Halls – Head of Membership Services at the Booksellers Association

Shortlisted this year, comedian and author of Gangsta Granny David Walliams commented: ‘Thank you so much for voting for me. Thank you also to all Independent bookshops and booksellers for how hard and passionately they work to support and sell books. I’m grateful to you for the huge part you’ve played in the success of my books and delighted to be a part of IBW 2013.’

Rachel Joyce author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry also said: ‘What has moved me most of all in the publishing process is the passion and commitment with which the independent booksellers have embraced HF. Without this commitment to new writing from the booksellers and this inventive flair for sales, I fear that books like mine wouldn’t stand a chance.’

Shortlisted titles will be heavily promoted by and to all participating bookshops in the UK and Ireland during Independent Booksellers Week and beyond.  Shortlisted authors will have the opportunity to participate in bookshop events as part of IBW, and shortlisted titles will be promoted as a group to booksellers via high quality POS materials including posters, bookmarks and leaflets featuring the shortlist and winning books. The IBW and BA websites will carry full information about the shortlisted titles.

The overall winners of the IBW Book Award 2013 will be announced on 29^th June 2013, the first day of Independent Booksellers Week.

Last year, Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? By Jeanette Winterson won the adult category and the children’s prize was awarded to Eva Ibbotson for One Dog and His Boy.

For any queries, contact sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk 020 7421 4640.

We have developed a new professional training programme for BA members! The programme includes classroom-based learning, as well as some online courses.
 

• Two half-day training courses: Creating Customer Delight & Creating a Great Place to Work.

• Website & Social Media courses: WordPress Essentials, Social Media – Getting Started & Social Media - Intermediate.

• Online Learning: Effective Time Management, Giving Constructive Feedback & How To Delegate Successfully.

BA Booksellers Centre at The London Book Fair – New Stand G1000
 
The BA is in a brand new position at The London Book Fair (Earls Court, London, 15^th-17^th April), so do come and visit us on the Booksellers Centre at Stand G1000, at the junction of Earls Court 1 and Earls Court 2.  There you will find the BA staff on hand to help you, a place to sit down, chat to BA Group staff, see a demo of our award-winning Batch service, see the new developments in eGift Cards from National Book Tokens, and see all the range of BA products and services.
 
While at the Fair, you can take advantage of the wide range of BA activity, including publisher presentations and IBF Seminars, as well as the full gamut of seminars and meetings taking place across the Fair for all three days.  If it all gets too much, though, you can come back to the Booksellers Centre and rest your weary feet!
 
Find out more about The London Book Fair by visiting www.londonbookfair.co.uk – BA members get FREE ENTRY to the Fair, don’t forget.
 
The BA is also hosting a Welcome Party for our Hosted Booksellers on Monday 15^th April at the Ibis Hotel – if you would like to come along to meet booksellers new to the Fair – and some PPC (Publishers Publicity Circle) publicists who are joining us - please email naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk to let her know.  The party will also feature the wonderful Bookshop Band, who will be performing for us.
 
We look forward to seeing you at the London Book Fair in April.  Further information is available from meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk or naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk
 

• you are considering opening a bookshop.
• you have recently set up a bookshop.
• you have a new member of staff that needs training in the practicalities of bookselling.

• benefit from the experience of one of the UK’s most successful booksellers.
• learn how to build a successful and profitable business.
• network with others new to the book trade.

The BRC is undertaking their annual Cost of Payments Collection survey. The outcome of the longstanding BRC legal action against MasterCard and VISA on unfair interchange fees is due to be resolved mid-2014, after which European and domestic regulators will decide a course of action. It is therefore more important than ever before that we demonstrate to decision makers what a fair cost for processing card payments should be.

The survey examines the year-on-year changes in the cost for the retailer to accept cash and card payments. The 2012 survey covered £173 billion or 60% of total UK retail sales. This received national press coverage and is has also been employed as an industry standard in a number of arenas - not least, by HM Treasury, Treasury Select Committee and the OFT.

For the survey to generate even greater impact requires even greater market participation. A high take-up rate will support the survey to maintain its position as the authoritative measure of cash and cards.

BRC requests that completed forms are returned by 22 March.

Please do get in touch with Richard Braham, richard.braham@brc.org.uk,  if you have any questions, queries or comments.

Download: BRC Cost of Collection Survey 2012-13

The Bookseller Industry Awards recognise the very best in and of the book trade - celebrating publishing, retailing and libraries, to provide a platform to shout about our success.  The entries are in for this year's awards; the quality and quantity of submissions across all the categories have been exceptional.
 
You can now book your place for the glitzy evening and make sure you and your colleagues are among the first to find out who the winners are! The night of the literary calendar, Monday 13^th May at the Hilton Park Lane, this is an evening not to be missed - it's a chance for excellence in the trade to be celebrated with your peers, colleagues and friends. 
 
The evening includes drinks reception, three-course dinner and the all-important awards announcements. You can book a whole table of 10, or individual seats for you and a few guests. Book before 22^nd March and save over 10%. Go to www.thebookseller.com/awards
 
 

Working via Gardners, the Indie ebook shop site is designed specifically to help Indie bookseller in three ways:
1.       Via selling the new eBook specific gift card – redeemed via the website
 2.       Sales commission for referrals – links form bookseller websitee, emails and blogs
3.       In store sales option – using the NBT ebook website Booksellers can provide the full local bookshop service, with advice and recommendation.

BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE AND GARDNERS TRADE SHOW RETURNS IN SEPTEMBER 2013
 
The annual BA conference and the Gardners Trade Show return to Warwick University on Sunday 22^nd September – Monday 23^rd September 2013, it was announced today.
 
Booksellers, publishers and other industry professionals will be able to register for the event in spring. The two day conference is designed to facilitate debate, share best practice and offer delegates networking opportunities within the book industry.
 
Alan Staton, BA Head of Marketing, said: “We’re delighted to be returning to Warwick and to continue to work with Gardners. With their continued sponsorship we can confirm that we will be able to make the conference free to booksellers again in 2013”
 
The popular Gardners Trade Show takes place on Sunday 22nd September. Bob Jackson, Gardners Commercial Director, said "Following on from the success of last year's joint tradeshow and conference, we are delighted to once again be working closely with the BA, to enable booksellers to attend this important event in the bookselling calendar."
 
This will be followed by the Gardners-sponsored BA Conference, which commences with bookseller discussions on the afternoon of Sunday 22^nd September and continues on Monday 23^rd September. A social event on Sunday evening which was previously designed for booksellers only, will this year be open to all participating delegates to enable maximum networking opportunities.

For more information on the Conference, including sponsorship opportunities, please contact:
E: Naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk


 

STUDENTS TO LECTURE BOOKSELLERS AND PUBLISHERS
INDUSTRY RECEIVES EXTRA TUITION ON ACADEMIC BOOKSELLING AT ANNUAL APS CONFERENCE
Exploring innovative resource provisions for students will be high on the agenda at this year’s Academic, Professional and Specialist Bookselling (APS) Group Conference.
 
University students and lecturers from Sussex, Brighton and Plymouth universities will join academic booksellers and publishers for the two day conference at The Old Ship Hotel in Brighton on Wednesday 13th March. 
 

Independent Booksellers Week this year takes place from 29^th June to 6^th July, and we are aiming to build on the success of the last six years.
The bedrock of all IBW activity is authors in bookshops, and this year is no exception.  We are now inviting publishers to nominate authors for author activity in bookshops.  For each author nominated for IBW, publishers must supply:
·         Author Name
·         Author Location & maximum travel distance
·         Author availability
·         Publicist’s Contact details – phone and email
We list below some ideas which we are keen to progress.   Contact meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk or sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk   Please respond by March 15^th 2013 by  emailing Sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk  
 
-       1. Author Availability for Bookshop Events: we want to collate as large a list as possible of authors who are available to bookshops during IBW – the BA then communicates the list to booksellers, who make direct contact with the publisher to organize the event logistics. 
-       Email sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk with a list of your authors and their locations, as well as which dates during IBW they are available, and how far afield they are prepared to travel. 
-       2. Strictly Come Bookselling:  where authors try their hand at being a bookseller for a morning or afternoon (or shorter period!). This initiative proved very successful last year, and we would like to reinvigorate the idea for 2013 -  we had some strong regional and national media coverage, and the authors found the experience very enjoyable.   Ideally, we need a mix of big name authors and local authors for this to ensure national and regional coverage.
-       Email sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk with suggestions for authors who are available and interested.
-       3. IBW Book Award  - see here for full information http://independentbooksellersweek.org.uk/award-page/
-       Email sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk for further information or to submit a title.
-       4. IBW Champions: if you have an author who is a keen champion of independents, then please ask them to consider preparing a quote we could use on IBW materials, or putting themselves forward to talk to the media about independents on the High Street and the Week – this is particularly important
-       Email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk with details of likely champions
 
All publisher offers and author availability will be communicated to all participating IBW Booksellers in regular IBW EBulletins.  They will also be listed on the campaign website www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk
We will be encouraging booksellers to make direct contact with publishers to organize events, so it is important that you give contact names as appropriate.  Midas PR are on hand to give advice to publishers keen to set up events with booksellers, but one of the aims of IBW is to create new links between publishers, booksellers and authors.

Hilary Mantel last night picked up the Costa Book of the Year Award for her bestselling novel Bring Up The Bodies.This makes her the first author ever to win the Man Booker Prize and Costa Book Award in the same year.

For information about the Costa Award and the new Short Story Award, visit www.costabookawards.com or contact naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk

Registration is now open for The London Book Fair 2013.

BA Members can register HERE for FREE entry to the three day event.

For more information on the BA at The London Book Fair and all bookseller related events go to The BA at LBF or contact meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk and naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk


www.londonbookfair.co.uk


 

DATES ANNOUNCED AND NEW LOOK IBW AWARD SUBMISSIONS OPEN
 
News for release, 22^nd January 2013:  The Booksellers Association (BA) has announced that this year’s Independent Booksellers Week (IBW) will run from 29^th June – 6^th July 2013. The Independent Booksellers Week Book Award 2013 (IBW Book Award) will again be at the core of the Week’s trade and consumer promotional activities, and submissions are now open. Publishers are invited to select titles that they would like to see championed by independent booksellers during IBW. To qualify for the prize, nominated titles must be available in paperback on 29^th June 2013 and published in paperback between 1^st January 2013 and 29^th June 2013. The deadline for submissions is 28^th February 2013.
 
The BA has revamped the judging process for the IBW Book Award this year.  A longlist will be drawn up from which independent booksellers will choose a shortlist of 12 titles in the children’s category and 10 titles in the adult category. The shortlist will be announced at the end of May. Two new look judging panels comprised of authors, broadcasters and booksellers, and chaired by BA President Patrick Neale, will then meet to determine the winners of each category, which will be announced on 29^th June – the opening day of IBW 2013. 
 
The panel of Judges for 2013 is:
 
Adult Category Judges
Edmund de Waal (author)
Anita Rani (broadcaster and television presenter)
Sally Johnson (Caxton Books & Gallery, Frinton-on-Sea)
Andy Rossiter (Rossiter Books, Ross-on-Wye and Monmouth)
 
Children’s Category Judges
Charlie Higson (author)
Janet Ellis (children’s television presenter)
Kate Agnew (Children’s Bookshop, Muswell Hill)
Vanessa Lewis (Book Nook, Hove)

Patrick Neale, BA President and Jaffe & Neale Bookshop, Chipping Norton commented: “I am delighted to be chairing the IBW Book Award. There are lots of book prizes but this one is special. Every author I have ever met loves independent bookshops. So I know how much this award means to the winners. I really look forward to reading the entries for both the Children’s and Adult categories and know that there will be a lot of real treats in store.”
 
Edmund de Waal, author and judge, Adult Category, said: 'I am a huge evangelist for independent bookshops. They allow the encounters between books and readers to happen in unexpected ways. Buying books should be a conversation and these bookshops are spaces in which this is encouraged. I won the prize in the 2011 and remain very grateful for the success of The Hare with Amber Eyes, as much of its reach was due to independent booksellers enthusing about it to their customers. We will be an impoverished place if we allow these bookshops to disappear.'
 
Charlie Higson, author and judge, Children’s Category, commented: “The IBW Book Award is one of the best because it's backed by the people at the coal face, men and women who devote their lives to reading, buying and selling books. So it's a great honour to be asked to help judge this year's Children's Award. I look forward to many happy hours reading the nominated books.”
 
Shortlisted titles will be heavily promoted by and to all participating bookshops in the UK and Ireland during Independent Booksellers Week and beyond.  Shortlisted authors will have the opportunity to participate in bookshop events as part of IBW, and shortlisted titles will be promoted as a group to booksellers via high quality POS materials including posters, bookmarks and leaflets featuring the shortlist and winning books. The IBW and BA websites will carry full information about the shortlisted titles.
 
2012 winners were Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? by Jeanette Winterson in the adult category and One Dog and His Boy by Eva Ibbotson in the children’s category.
 
For further information about terms and conditions, and a downloadable application form please contact Sharon Benton at the BA on Sharon.benton@booksellers.org.uk and visit: www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk
 

The winners of the 2012 Costa Book Awards were announced on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on the 2nd January 2013.

The winners are as follows:

Novel: Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel (Fourth Estate)
First Novel: The Innocents, by Francesca Segal (Chatto & Windus)
Biography:  Dotter of Her Father's Eyes, by Mary M Talbot and Bryan Talbot (Jonathan Cape)
Poetry: The Overhaul, by Kathleen Jamie (Picador)
Children's: Maggot Moon, by Sally Gardner (Hot Key Books)

Vist www.costabookawards.com for more information on the Awards.

Hosted Bookseller Programme for The London Book Fair 2013 15^th – 17^th April 2013
Building on the success of our BA/LBF Hosted Bookseller Programme for the last two years, we are delighted to announce that we will again be running the Programme for The London Book Fair 2013. You can apply NOW to be part of the Programme and receive a FREE night’s accommodation at the nearby Ibis Hotel. The Ibis is perfectly placed within walking distance of Earls Court, and all successful applicants will not only receive FREE accommodation on Monday 15th April, they will also be able to take advantage of special Hosted Bookseller activity for BA members:
·         A sponsored Drinks Reception at the Ibis Hotel on Monday evening
·         Goody Bags
·         Orientation Packs at the BA Bookseller Centre on Arrival
Plus:
·         FREE entry to the Fair
·         FREE show catalogue
·         FREE IBF Seminar Programme
·         FREE attendance at IBF Publisher Presentations
·         FREE attendance at PA/BA Children’s Books Presentation
To apply, applicants must:
·         Be BA Members
·         Have not attended the London Book Fair since at least 2010
·         Be prepared to fund their own travel to London
·         Commit to register for London Book Fair online
·         Commit to visit the BA Bookseller Centre to register for the Hosted Bookseller Programme
·         Complete a survey after the Fair, giving feedback on the Programme
There are approximately 50 places on this programme, which will be allocated to eligible booksellers strictly on a FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED basis, so please email naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk  with your application, stating your NAME, BOOKSHOP, DATE OF LAST VISIT TO LBF. The BA will inform successful applicants ASAP.
We look forward to hearing from you, and good luck! In the meantime, visit the site to see all the activity on offer www.londonbookfair.co.uk

IndieBound: Real Recommendations from Bookshops!
 

 
As you may have heard, a new consumer-facing IndieBound website has been launched.
 
Extending the reach of IndieBound’s current trade-focused campaign, the site is uniquely positioned as the antidote to algorithm-based, chart-led, celebrity-endorsed book recommendations; a forum where book lovers can share their passion for books and use the expertise of real booksellers to discover inspiring new reads. This is strongly supported by social media activity, predominantly on Facebook, where readers can ask for personalised recommendations from booksellers.
 
Booksellers are encouraged to continue submitting recommendations throughout the year, and help answer requests for advice on Facebook.
 
Visit the site www.indiebound.co.uk or the Facebook page to take part www.facebook.com/IndieboundUK

Also you can interact with and follow the site on Twitter @IndieBoundbooks 
 
Not only is this a great opportunity to promote your bookshop (as each shop will be credited for its recommendation), it’s a fantastic chance to demonstrate your expert knowledge!
 
Booksellers can submit as many recommendations as they wish online at www.indiebound.co.uk. For more information about IndieBound, and to get involved with recommending books on Facebook, please email indiebound@booksellers.org.uk

TIRED OF EL JAMES AND JAMIE OLIVER? BOOKSELLERS REVEAL THEIR ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS HITS!

Dear BA member,
 
Your views are sought by E-Lending@culture.gov.uk <mailto:E-Lending@culture.gov.uk>  before 6th November 2012 by a new body set up by Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey, to look into e-book lending by public libraries.
 I urge you to take the time to read this note and to respond to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport if you feel able. We believe that unrestricted e-book lending could have far-reaching consequences for bookselling.
 Background
 In broad terms, librarians are pushing for public libraries to be permitted by the rightsholders (publishers and authors) to loan a lot more e-books.  Publishers have been generally reluctant to give the librarians – and the library suppliers – the permissions they need, because they fear that the universal free lending of e-books without any controls or restrictions will seriously damage any publishing model and eradicate any rewards for both authors and publishers ………… and remove the need for bookshops.  After all, if any e-book is available free just by clicking a mouse, then the chances of you then going out to buy a book are pretty slim.  Publishers are also concerned about the potential for an increase in piracy.
 
BA position
 The BA is really concerned that e-book lending by public libraries has the potential to harm our members’ book sales.  I’ve written a number of letters to our Culture Minister, Ed Vaizey, on the subject.  Reproduced below is my last one!
 
Dear Ed,
 E-BOOKS AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES
 I know you are currently considering the views of the publishers and the librarians about e-book lending.  Our members will be affected by whatever outcome evolves from the various discussions, so I hope you will factor our views into your deliberations.
  
We very much support the position of The Publishers Association in this matter.  Late last year, the PA set out its position on e-book lending in libraries. Richard Mollet, Chief Executive of The Publishers Association said:
 
 “Ultimately, the activities of selling and lending have to be able to co-exist with neither unduly harming the other. If ebook lending were untrammelled it would pose an extremely potent threat to the retail market which in the long-term would undermine the ability of authors, and the companies which invest in them, to see a reward for their creativity.  This would be hugely a negative outcome for everyone, including libraries and their communities.”
  
The BA very much believes in the importance of public libraries. But libraries have to recognise that if e-book lending were without controls, it would pose an extremely potent threat to the retail market, to publishers and authors.  As you may know, we had instances a while ago of public libraries offering to loan e-books 24/7 to anyone without any controls.  Apparently some borrowers were as far away as China!
  
If bookshops are substantially undermined by e-book lending without fair controls, then they may well go out of business, which will not be in the interests of the libraries and communities they serve.  Also, there is a real danger of e-books lent by libraries being copied illegally, as it seems experienced pirates are able to get round the DRM protection.
  
In our view, e-books should be treated simply as a different book format and be subject to restrictions in the same way as printed books. We are not against libraries being able to loan e-books. But we want this to happen in such a way that the sales in bookshops are not substantially undermined.
 
 As far as e-books are concerned, the BA’s position is as follows:
  
·         We believe that access to e-books should only be permitted to permanent residents who hold a library membership card.  (However, we realise that libraries may also offer access to regular users who may commute into their area – as many do in London.)
 ·         We do not believe that temporary membership should be granted by libraries for visitors.
 ·         We take the view that provided membership is only permitted to permanent residents who hold a library membership card, that remote access to the library’s website is acceptable.
 ·         Libraries should only be able to lend e-books for a pre-determined period to a borrower on a one book/one user basis, as happens now with physical books - the technology already exists.
 ·         We believe that libraries should impose a charge when downloading or providing access to an e-book (as is usually the case with DVDs and audiobooks at present).
 ·         Monies collected by the library could then be ring-fenced and used to increase the book fund.
  
The BA has publicly supported recent efforts to stop the closure of public libraries.   We understand that over £1,000m of public money goes to fund the library service annually, yet only just over £90m goes towards the book fund.   We believe the percentage spent on books by libraries (as a percentage of the total funding) has to be increased.
  
We do hope you and your DCMS colleagues will take our views into consideration.
 
 With best wishes,
 Yours sincerely
 Tim Godfray
 BA Chief Executive
 

We are delighted to be offering booksellers the chance to sign up to and annual pack of POS, comprising 12 occasions.  Each occasion will be supplied with two sizes of poster and 200 bookmarks.  The packs will be sent out in two deliveries, and the cost for this new service is £70 +VAT.



Click to download the order form or email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk 

TRADE GATHERS TO DEBATE PRACTICAL PATH TO FUTURE OF
HIGH STREET BOOKSELLING
 
RECORD HIGH NUMBERS OF BOOKSELLERS TO ATTEND BA CONFERENCE NEXT WEEK
 
Record number of booksellers from across the UK will meet publishers in Warwick next week (16-17 Sep), as the industry convenes under one roof for the annual Book Industry conference.
 
Over 170 booksellers from across high street chains and, large and small publishers, wholesalers, marketers and authors, will come together to exchange ideas and to promote best practice in high-street bookselling during this key event in the book industry calendar, this year taking place at the University of Warwick. 
 
Many of the top publishers in attendance will participate in the Fever Pitch Lunch, in which they will present their forthcoming titles to booksellers over a working buffet lunch. Participating publishers include Constable & Robinson, Orion, Bloomsbury, The Random House Goup, HarperCollins, Lonely Planet, Little Brown, Hodder, Turnaround, Saltway, Impress Books, Macmillan and Headline.
 
From the phycology of shopping and the changing behaviour of customers to the relationship between booksellers and publishers, and the latest research into e-books and consumers, the conference will provide practical suggestions to ensure a positive future in high-street bookselling and the essential role of the retailer in reaching Britain’s consumers.
 
Alan Staton, BA Head of Marketing, comments:
 
“This year’s conference presents publishers with the unique opportunity to meet an unprecedented number of booksellers in the lead up to the crucial Christmas season. Not only does it provide them with a chance to directly present booksellers with their forthcoming titles, but it also facilitates important discussions that can help them increase their ability to connect with readers on a long-term basis.”
 

The three trade Presidents are to give closing keynotes at the BA Conference on 17th September.
Patrick Neale, BA President, Ursula Mackenzie, PA President and Lindsey Davis, President of the Society of Authors will offer their thoughts on the future of bookselling which will be followed by a panel debate chaired by Cathy Rentzenbrink, Director of Quick Reads.

For more information on the Conference please click here

The BA is planning to produce a Guide to Scottish Bookshops to celebrate Book Week Scotland, which runs from 26th November to 2nd December.  Produced in association with Publishing Scotland, the Guide will be part of a Scottish Books and Bookshops booklet, designed to promote Scottish books and Scottish bookshops to consumers during the St Andrews Day-focussed celebrations.

Further information is available from meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk or by visiting http://www.scottishbooktrust.com/bookweekscotland

Publishers attending the Booksellers Association (BA) conference will pitch their Christmas books to become Bookshop Originals - independent booksellers’ top 10 Christmas books.
New BA President and co-owner of Jaffe & Neale, Patrick Neale, said:
“With Bookshop Originals we are asking booksellers to listen to publishers’ pitches and then choose their top 10 ’surprise’ Christmas hits. It is a great opportunity for publishers to get their quirky, interesting books in front of booksellers before the crucial Christmas season and pitch them to the people who will be hand-selling books to customers.”
The BA conference will be held at The Warwick University Conference Centre on the 16 - 17 September, and it will highlight the importance of high-street bookselling to publishing and will explore the opportunities for practical and imaginative collaboration between booksellers and publishers.
 
Patrick Neale also said:
“The BA Conference is the best place for publishers and booksellers to meet en masse and discuss the book-buying consumer and the challenges in getting new books into their hands. Bookshops play a crucial role in the discovery of books, running literary festivals and events, and they are instrumental in launching many new authors. There is no doubt that it is a challenging time for bookshops so it couldn’t be a better time to meet together and discuss the future of the industry.”
Regarded as one of the biggest events in the book trade calendar for over 100 years, the conference has constantly evolved and adapted to meet the changes and challenges of the Book Industry. It will be the first time the conference will incorporate the highly successful Independent Booksellers Forum (IBF), which has been held at this venue for a number of years and will be preceded by the Gardeners Books tradeshow.
The conference will be held at The Warwick University Conference Centre on the 16 - 17 September, and it will highlight the importance of high-street bookselling to publishing and will explore the opportunities for practical and imaginative collaboration between booksellers and publishers.
Registration for the event is now open. 
Publishers who would like to pitch a book for Bookshop Originals should contact Naomi.gane@booksellers.org.uk 

Find Your Local Bookshop
As part of the BA's Keep Books on the High Street campaign, we are encouraging all our friends and partners in the book trade to take a step in favour of contemporary high street bookshops.  We believe consumers deserve the choice of shopping with their local bookseller, whether on the high street or on their website.  So we urge you to introduce the idea of bookshops to your website visitors.  Here’s how…
 
We have created a Find Your Local Bookshop button, whic, used in conjunction with this link -  http://www.booksellers.org.uk/Search-Tools/Bookshop-search.aspx - will take visitors to the BA bookshop search page, where they can search the over 3500 outlets in BA membership.  BA members range from single independents in market towns, to campus bookstores, through Christian specialists, to large national bookselling chains and supermarkets.    Consumers can search for All BA members, Independents Only and/or Chain and Independent Booksellers – and can then decide whether to buy online or visit their community bookshop.

If you would like a copy of the image file, email meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk 

 
COSTA LAUNCHES THE COSTA SHORT STORY AWARD
 
Entries open from Monday 16^th July to Friday 7th September
Submissions to be judged anonymously
Winner to be voted for by public and announced at Costa Book Awards ceremony
 
 
Costa has launched the Costa Short Story Award, a brand new Award for a single short story that will run in association with the Costa Book Awards but be judged independently of the main five-category system.
 
The new Award is for a single, previously unpublished short story of up to 4,000 words by an author aged 18 years or over and written in English.  The author’s primary residence must have been the UK or Ireland for the past three years.
 
Entry opens on Monday 16^th July and closes at 4pm on Friday 7^th September.  Entries must be submitted online via a dedicated page at www.costabookawards.com.  Entrants need not have been previously published but publishers and agents may submit entries on behalf of authors.
 
All entries will be judged anonymously – in other words, without the identity of the author being available to the judges.
 
A panel of five judges will select a shortlist of six entries which will be revealed in November. The public will then be invited to vote online for their favourite story from the six finalists. 
 
The winner will be announced at the Costa Book Awards ceremony on 29^th January 2013 and will receive £3,500; two runners-up will each receive £750.
 
The judges for the 2012 Costa Short Story Award are:
 
Richard Beard: Director of the National Academy of Writing
Fanny Blake: Novelist and Journalist; Books Editor of Woman & Home
Gary Kemp: Songwriter and guitarist for Spandau Ballet; Actor and Writer
Victoria Hislop: Writer
Simon Trewin: Agent, William Morris Endeavor
 
“What’s really exciting about our new Short Story Award is that it’s open to absolutely everyone,” commented Kevin Hydes, Marketing Director, Costa UK.  “For the first time, we’re able to extend the reach of the Book Awards in ways we never have before.  You don’t need a publisher or an agent to enter this competition, just an idea and writing talent and we’re encouraging anyone who has ever considered writing creatively, and those who write already professionally or otherwise, to enter.”
 
The Costa Book Awards recognise the most enjoyable books of the last year by writers based in the UK and Ireland.  Originally established by Whitbread PLC in 1971, Costa announced its takeover of the sponsorship of the UK’s prestigious and popular book prize in 2006.
 
For more information on this year’s Costa Book Awards, go to www.costabookawards.com.

Publishers deadline extended to 11 July, Bookseller order deadline extended to 13 July

The Guardian maps the Literary Landscape of the UK and Ireland with NBT
 

Patrick Neale, co-owner of Jaffe & Neale Bookshop and Cafe in Chipping Norton, has taken over as BA President from Jane Streeter, who completed her two-year term of office at the BA AGM in London yesterday.

BA Vice President David Prescott (Blackwells) and BA CEO Tim Godfray paid homage to Jane Streeter's much-respected time as President, which has been distinguished by a tireless dedication and a commitment to action.

Patrick Neale will serve as BA President until the BA AGM 2014, and vowed yesterday to continue the positive work started by Jane Streeter, particularly in regard to publisher relations, establishing ebook availability for independents and bookseller engagement with the BA.

The 2012 BA Conference will take place on 16-17 September, together with the Gardners Tradeshow, in Warwick. To secure your place you can complete the PDF booking form and return to the BA, or you can register online. Visit the Conference Section of the site to register: BA Conference 2012

We have streamlined the design and provision of our plastic and paper bags available from the BA, and we are delighted to bring you the new IndieBound/National Book Tokens design.  The design will be available in three sizes – two plastic carriers and the very popular kraft paper bag:
  
To order bags, contact sue.vickers@booksellers.org.uk and to download a copy of the order form, click here - for further information on bags, contact anna.clarke@booksellers.org.uk or meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk

Following their successful  BA Independent Booksellers Forum presentation on Internet Marketing at the London Book Fair, WSI Polaris, who have worked extensively with the Canadian Booksellers Association, have now set up a programme of webinars for BA members for three further education sessions covering some of the essentials of building your strategy for marketing on the internet. 
These will run through the next few months, especially for BA members, on the fourth Thursday of the month at 11:00 am BST, so please mark your calendars:
Webinar 1:    Thursday, 31st May   
Search Marketing: Generating Targeted Traffic and Turning Visitors into Customers
Webinar 2:    Thursday, 28th June  
Search Advertising - How Google Places has Changed Everything
 Webinar 3:    Thursday, 26th July   
Understanding Social Media - How to use Social Media for Advertising and Events
 To register for the first of these webinars, follow this URL: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/370778529
 Contact WSI directly if you have any questions about the webinar programme, on 0844 324 6021, or via email at info@wsipolarisdigital.com  Alternatively, contact meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk 

Adult and Children's Shortlists Announced for IBW Book Award 2012

We are delighted to announce the next Introduction to Bookselling Course, to take place at the BA on 24th October.  Click below for the booking form.

Further information is available from alison.pinder@booksellers.org.uk 

Flyer-Introduction-to-Bookselling-October2012

Hodder, Random House and Independent Alliance lead
the way in supporting IBW 2012
 
Hodder, Random House, the Independent Alliance and a range of other major and independent publishers are showing their support of Independent Booksellers Week (IBW) by producing exclusive products for the IBW Collectibles range, a new IBW initiative designed to appeal to book consumers. 
 
IBW Collectibles will be available only for independent booksellers for IBW, which this year takes place from 30^th June to 7^th July.
 
Hodder is producing a special limited deluxe edition of Gold by Chris Cleave which will be signed and numbered by the author and will feature a slipcase, head and tail bands, a ribbon marker and different end papers from the main edition.
 
From Random House, Man Booker Prize-winning author Julian Barnes has written an essay called A Life with Books which was specially commissioned by Jonathan Cape for IBW.  It will be published in pamphlet format and supplied exclusively to independent bookshops for the week.  In it, Julian Barnes writes about his early awareness of books and about his obsessive book-collecting and time spent in second-hand bookshops around the country.
 
Commenting on the release of A Life with Books, independent bookseller and BA Council member Nic Bottomley (Mr B’s Emporium of Reading Delights, Bath), said: “The Julian Barnes essay is exactly slap bang on the nail, the very best kind of support for indies and IBW that publishers can give. Just what some of us had in mind when first pointing to the example of Independent Record Store Day. Unique content, attractive no doubt, great subject matter, slim, affordable, clearly capable of generating PR and bringing people into our shops.”
 
Independent publishers are also showing their support with bespoke goodies. Canongate is offering a three month exclusive deal to independent booksellers on the paperback edition of Solzhenitsyn’s Apricot Jam and Other Stories, which will be available in indies from the start of IBW until publication for the rest of the trade on 6^th September.
 
Sort Of Books is offering Driving Over Lemons by Chris Stewart in a special IBW hardback edition at £9.99, and Profile a limited deluxe edition of Just My Type by Simon Garfield.  Faber is offering the Faber Poetry Diary exclusively for indie booksellers for two months – available from IBW onwards to indie booksellers; available to the rest of the trade from the end of August 2012.
 
Walker Books is offering bookshops a Where’s Wally Treasure Hunt which they can run locally during IBW, attracting children and their parents in-store and providing a fun community resource. 
 
Other publishers are offering signed copies of key hardbacks exclusively to indies, including Orion with Michael Palin’s The Truth and Anthony Beevor’s The Second World War, as well as Some Kind of Fairy Tale by Graham Joyce with extra features.  Orion is also offering some promotions to indies for IBW, including a 3 for 2 on children’s summer reading.  Little, Brown is offering signed copies of Katherine McMahon’s This Is How It Ends and Macmillan is offering indies a gift plush box set of Julia Donaldson’s What the Ladybird Heard.
 
With 12 weeks to go the largest number of  bookshops since 2008  have signed up for IBW -  to date over 270 bookshops have registered; all the more impressive in an environment where bookshop numbers are falling.  Authors who have already agreed to take part in events include: Jake Arnott, Lindsey Davis, Peter Hamilton, Sophie Hannah, Lisa Jewell, Francesca Kay, Fiona Mountain, Gervase Phinn and Peter Robinson.
 
IBW again sees the incorporation of National Reading Group Day (30^th June), a joint venture between IBW and The Reading Agency, which highlights reading groups and their importance to both bookshops and libraries.  IBW is delighted to launch the 2012 NRGD Competition, where Chris Cleave (Gold, The Other Hand, Incendiary) is offering himself as a prize to a reading group.  Details of the competition – open to reading groups run through bookshops or libraries – will appear shortly on both the IBW and Reading Groups for Everyone websites www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk and www.readinggroups.org.
3
 
Meryl Halls, Head of Membership Services, The Booksellers Association commented: “This is just the start of what promises to be another great promotional week.  We are absolutely delighted with the support we have had from publishers, authors and booksellers alike and we look forward to seeing a whole host of exciting events and promotions taking place across the country.”
 
Publishers interested in participating in Independent Booksellers Week should contact Meryl Halls at the BA meryl.halls@booksellers.org.uk or sharon.down@booksellers.org.uk or call 020 7421 4640. 
 
www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk
 
Ends
 
For further information, please contact Tracey Jennings or Emma Lawson, Midas Public Relations, tel: 020 7361 7860, email: emma.lawson@midaspr.co.uk
 
Notes to editors:

• Independent Booksellers Week (IBW), now in its fifth year, is a celebration of independent bookshops nationwide, and the important part that ‘indies’ play in their communities and the excellent, personal service they provide for customers. 

• Hundreds of events and promotions will be taking place at independent bookshops around the country. Local bookshops who take part in IBW are supported by the The Booksellers Association with the preparation of toolkit packs, including information on how to engage with the local community and media, and point-of-sale materials. 

• National Reading Group Day, which takes place on Saturday 30th June, allows booksellers to focus on the Reading Group phenomenon, organise their own Reading Group Day, or partner with other organisations, such as local libraries, to create a lively reading group initiative. 

The Future of High Street Bookselling Top of the Agenda at BA Conference September 2012

Independent Booksellers Week will run from 30th June to 7th July 2012.  Further information is available from www.independentbooksellersweek.org.uk 

Novelist Andrew Miller has won the 2011 Costa Book of the Year, his first major literary award, for his sixth novel, Pure.

The BA welcomes the Portas Review into UK High Streets.