The Booksellers Association (BA) is delighted to reveal additional plans for this year’s line-up for Bookshop Day (Saturday 12 October) – the annual celebration of all high street bookshops in the UK – with brilliant events and activities taking place across the country.

From exciting author events with Theresa May, Lemn Sissay, Helen Lederer, Jamie Smart, Susie Dent, Cressida Cowell, Inua Ellams, Oliver Jeffers, Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York), Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Okechukwu Nzelu among others, to children being booksellers for one day, Bookshop Day is the perfect time for all booklovers to celebrate their local high street bookshop.
 
Book festivals including Cheltenham Literary Festival, Manchester Literature Festival, Durham Book Festival, Clapham LitFest and Ilkley Literature Festival will be taking place around Bookshop Day, with a number of author events and signings. Other celebrations organised by bookshops up and down the country include: a special event to mark Korean Culture Month, TikTok sensations turned authors visiting bookshops, evenings of poetry readings, spooky afternoons for the little ones, and a very special Pokémon Swap Shop.
 
On the day (and throughout the year), booksellers will be on hand to give advice and guidance on your next read, or the perfect Christmas gift for a fellow booklover. This year’s theme “Bookshops Making a Difference” highlights the positive contribution bookshops make to their local communities, acting as so much more than just retail spaces for books.
 
BOOKSHOP EVENTS
Author events and activities taking place on Bookshop Day across the UK include:
 
North of England

• Interesting Books and Zines (Berwick-upon-Tweed) is joined by BCA and artists/bookmaker Sam Strokes for a creative and fun zine making workshop on Bookshop Day at 1:30pm – 4:30pm. More info here.
• The Stripey Badger (Skipton) to host Jennifer Burkinshaw, Paul Rand and Ruth Estevez for book signings on Bookshop Day. More info about the bookshop here. They will then visit Limestone Books on the same day. More info about the bookshop here.
• Waterstones in Manchester will be providing books for author events at Manchester Literature Festival on Bookshop Day, with authors including Joseph Coelho, Inua Ellams, Aimee de Jongh, Lemn Sissay, Tom Benn, Sophie Parkes and Okechukwu Nzelu. More info here.
• The Grove Bookshop will be providing books for author events at Ilkley Literature Festival on Bookshop Day including Zoe Berville, Linda Porter, Sophie Shorland, Thersea May, Carol Klein, Sam Freedman, Simon Kuper, Steve Ely, Susie Dent, Gabriel Gatehouse, David Kynaston, Rob Eastaway, Sir Graham Brady, Paul Sinha and Helen Lederer. More info about the festival here.
• Waterstones Altrincham will be hosting visual artist and bestselling author Oliver Jeffers as he joins them to sign copies of his new picture book, Where to Hide a Star, on Saturday 12 October at 10:30am. More info here.
• Waterstones Carlisle invites Anna Nolan for a book signing of Lakeland ​Larks, ​Laughter ​and ​Lunacies on Bookshop Day at 11:00am – 1:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Liverpool is joined by Oliver Jeffers for a book signing of his new picture book, Where to Hide a Star, on Bookshop Day at 2:30pm. More info here.
• Waterstones York hosts an evening with Craig Brown to talk about his new book A Voyage Around the Queen on Saturday 12 October at 7:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Manchester (The Bridgewater Hall) hosts an in conversation with Boris Johnson about his novel Unleashed on Saturday 12 October at 8:00pm. Tickets include a signed copy of the book. More info here.
• People’s Bookshop (Durham) will host And Other Stories author Ibtisam Azem and Manya Wilkinson to sign copies of their novels, The Book of Disappearance and Lublin, while in Durham for Durham Book Festival on Saturday 12 October (all day). And Other Stories goodies will also be available with purchases throughout the day. More info about the bookshop here. Ibtisam Azem and Manya Wilkinson will go to Collected Books (Durham) on Sunday 13 October (all day) to hold the same event. More info about the bookshop here.
• Serenity Booksellers (Stockport) is joined by author and illustrator Steve Webb for a fun session on how to draw awesome characters on Bookshop Day at 11:00am. They’ll also receive a signed and dedicated copy of Steve’s latest book, Peng and Spanners: When Pigs Go Bad! More info here.
• The Blue House Bookshop (York) are running a children’s bookshop takeover with the bookshop being run by children from 10:00am -12:00pm on Bookshop Day. There will be authors doing signings, special cakes and members of their creative writing courses bringing family and friends to show them why they love books. The children running the shop are 9-13 years old and have all attended at least one of their children’s courses. More info here.

 
Midlands

• Waterstones Wolverhampton welcomes Sarah the Makaton Tutor for story time of Martha Mumford and Cherie Zamazing's We're Going on a Ghost Hunt on Bookshop Day at 11:00am – 12:00pm. More info here.

 
South of England

• Foyles Charing Cross (London) to celebrate Korean Culture Month with an evening with Joo Dong-Geun on Bookshop Day at 4:00pm. More info here.
• Blackwell’s Oxford are joined by Carolyn Ward, Angela Kecojevic, Nazima Pathan and Antonia Maxwell for an afternoon of spooky chat on Bookshop Day at 3:00pm – 4:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones will be providing books for author events at Cheltenham, Literary Festival on Bookshop Day including Cressida Cowell, Nadia Shireen, Rachel Morrisroe, Sharna Jackson, Ben Macintyre, Ava Glass, Charles Cumming, Caroline Magennis, Adam Stower, Preet Chandi, Rachel Cooke, Hollie McNish, Catherine Rayner, Kieran Larwood, Celia Imrie, Fidelis Morgan, Nicolas Hamilton, Danielle Jawando, Laura Bates, Natasha Bowen, Andy Darcy Theo, Sophy Henn, Robin Stevens, Roopa Farooki, Frank Gardner, Charles Cumming, Emma Freud, Kate Weston, Lauren James, Josh Silver, Amie Jordan, Onjali Q. Rauf, Nadia Shireen, Lauren Child, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Mark Nixon, Dirk Van Hulle, Rónán Hession, Clare Clark, Clare Mackintosh, Maggie Aderin Pocock, Michael Palin, Rebecca F. Kuang, Andrew McMillan, Salena Godden, K Patrick, Rachel Greenlaw, Leanne Egan, Salomey Doku, Joelle Taylor, K Patrick, Sean Hewitt, Michael Pedersen, Jan Carson, Mike McCormack, Harry Josephine Giles, Jordan Stephens, Kaliane Bradley, Lauren Elkin, Dale Vince and Alison Steadman. More info about the festival here.
• Waterstones Bristol is joined by bestselling author and TikTok sensation Kathleen Glasgow where you can come and meet and chat to Kathleen on Bookshop Day at 3:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Bluewater welcomes A.F. Steadman for a book signing of Skandar and the Skeleton Curse on Bookshop Day at 4:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Cambridge to host an evening with Bex Hogan in celebration of Nettle on Bookshop Day at 6:00pm – 7:30pm. She will be in conversation with fellow YA fantasy author Holly Race. More info here.
• Waterstones Maidstone host an evening of poetry as part of Maidstone LitFest on Bookshop Day at 6:00pm – 7:30pm. Poets include ​Christopher Horton, Maggie Harris, Dorothy Lehane and Jessica Mookherjee. More info here.
• Waterstones Canterbury will host a book signing with A.F. Steadman on Bookshop Day at 10:00am. Purchase a ticket in advance to secure your copy of The Skeleton Curse and a place to have your book signed. More info here.
• Waterstones Bromley hosts a fun story time of Not Now, Bernard by David McKee on Bookshop Day at 11:00am – 11:30am. More info here.
• Waterstones Brentwood welcomes Ian Eagleton for story time of Nen and The Lonely Fisherman as well as an art and craft session on Bookshop Day at 11:00am – 2:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Chatham is holding a book signing of Let the Games Begin by Rufaro Faith Mazarura on Saturday 12 October at 11:30am. More info here.
• Waterstones Piccadilly hosts Jamie Smart where people can come and meet him as he signs copies of his latest book in his Bunny vs Monkey series, The Great Big Glitch on Bookshop Day, 12:00pm. More info here.
• Gerrards Cross Bookshop (Buckinghamshire) welcomes Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York to do a book signing of Flora and Ferm: Wonder in the Woods on Bookshop Day at 11:00am. More info about the bookshop here.
• Nomad Books (London) welcomes Katie Kirby for a book signing on Bookshop Day at 1:00pm – 2:30pm. More info here.
• Clapham Books (London) will be providing books for author events at Clapham Litfest including Anthony Seldon, Elly Griffiths, Gavin Esler, Lissa Evans, Elizabeth Buchan, Simon Brett and Julie Anderson on Bookshop Day. More info here.
• Waterstones (Barnstaple) welcomes award-winning illustrator Miriam Latimer to celebrate Bookshop Day and the publication of her new book Colours of Home. Miriam will be signing copies and will also be painting a beautiful window display on Bookshop Day (time TBC). More info about the bookshop here.
• The Folkestone Bookshop (Folkestone) is doing a potato printing workshop for children with upcoming debut author James O’Brien on Saturday 12^th October at 11:00am – 12:00pm. More info here.

Chorleywood Bookshop (Hertfordshire) is hosting an afternoon with award-winning author and leading political commentator Iain Dale on Saturday 12 October, 3:00pm – 4:00pm at Chorleywood Library. More info on how to book your ticket here.

• Heron Books (Bristol) welcomes Glyn Maxwell, author of The Big Calls and How the Hell Are You for a poetry reading. Also on the bill will be Kaycee Hill, author of Hot Sauce. Join them for a drink and an hour of pre-prandial poetry on Bookshop Day at 6:00pm/ More info here.
• The Rocketship Bookshop (Wiltshire) is joined by author and illustrator Kristina Stephenson for two craft sessions to promote her event at Salisbury Arts Centre on 1^st November. With Halloween and the spooky season approaching, join them as Kristina shows you how to make your own Monster in a Jar! There will be two sessions on Bookshop Day at 11:00am-12:00 pm or 1:00pm-2:00pm. More info here.
• Gnash Comic & Graphic Novels, First Draft Books, The East Gate Bookshop and The Ivy Bridge Bookshop are all participating in the South Devon Bookshop Crawl. Present your card for a stamp between 1 September and Bookshop Day to claim a limited-edition tote bag designed and illustrated by Jackie Morris or Poonam Mistry. More info here.
• Angela Harding, creator of this year’s Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag, will be illustrating bookshop windows with vinyls and hand-drawn elements, and signing books in the following bookshops: Edge of the World Bookshop (Cornwall) on Friday 27 September at 1:00pm, more info here; Maldon Books (Essex) on Saturday 5^th October, more info here; and Suddenly on Sheaf Street (Daventry) on Bookshop Day, 10:00am – 3:00pm, more info here.
• Nomad Books (London) is hosting a special story time and craft activities with Momoko Abe on Bookshop Day at 11:00am. More info here.

 
Scotland

• The Book Nook (Stewarton) are hosting a fun evening of ‘fun and fizz’ with guest authors dropping in, free drinks, cake, raffles and giveaways on Bookshop Day at 7:00pm. Giveaways, special offers and raffles will take place from 10:00 – 4:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Glasgow (Sauchiehall Street) hosts an evening with Sarah A. Parker about her novel When the Moon Hatched on Bookshop Day at 7:00pm. The ticket includes the book, tote bag, enamel dragon pin and art prints. More info here.
• Waterstones East Kilbride holds a fun activity with The Princess and The (Greedy) Pea by Leigh Hodgkinson where you follow eight unhappy bunnies on an adventure to find the culprit behind their birthday cake heist on Bookshop Day at 3:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Dundee welcomes J.J. Marr for a book signing of her debut novel, The Cards You're Dealt, on Saturday 12 October at 1:00pm – 2:00pm. More info here.
• Waterstones Dundee hosts their monthly Pokémon Swap Shop on Bookshop Day, 10:00am – 11:00am, where you can trade cards, meet friends and do a Pokémon treasure hunt. More info here.
• Daydreams Bookshop (Milngavie) will host local authors Gill Sims and Julie Shackman for drop in book signings on Saturday 12 October at 11:00am – 12:00pm. More info here.

 
Wales

• Book-ish (Abergavenny) will host a book signing for Karin Celestine, author of The Joy Bringers, at 11:00am on Bookshop Day. More info here.

 
Northern Ireland

• The Book Well (Belfast) will launch The Adventure Driven Life with author Richard Porter on Bookshop Day at 2:30pm. More info here.

 
ANNIVERSARIES AND NEW BOOKSHOPS
 

• Drop City Books (Stoke-on-Trent) celebrates their 1^st birthday on Bookshop Day. More info about Drop City Books here.
• The Rabbit Hole (Brigg) will be officially opening their second bookshop on Bookshop Day which is called The Rabbit Hutch (Grimsby). More info about The Rabbit Hole here

 
DOUBLE STAMPS
To celebrate the joy of visiting bookshops, Waterstones and Foyles will offer Double Stamps in all their shops on Bookshop Day, Saturday 12 October 2024. Plus or Foyalty card holders will receive double stamps on in-store purchases and customers new to Plus or Foyalty are welcome to sign up in store and collect stamps immediately. The offer will not apply to online orders on waterstones.com and Foyles.co.uk.
 
LIBRO.FM
Libro.fm, the audiobook retailer and app that shares profits with independent bookshops, will run a sale on bestselling audiobooks 7-13 October. In addition, participating partner bookshops will hide Golden Tickets (good for 12 free audiobook credits) for customers to find in their shops on 12 October.
 
GLASGOW CITY SPOTLIGHT
This Bookshop Day will spotlight Glasgow and its wonderful bookshops. Local artists Jacqueline Briggs and Jack Stamp will work with Jack Arts on two murals in St Enoch Square and Blythewood Street in the city centre.
 
Graduating in Illustration from DJCAD in 2016, Jacqueline Briggs now works from her studio in Wasps Creative Academy, Inverness. Inspired by her contrasting Papua New Guinean and Scottish heritage, her interest in people and culture is represented throughout her work particularly through her bold use of colour and humour.
 
Jack Stamp is an illustrator and designer from Edinburgh, with a degree in Illustration and a master’s degree in Comics & Graphic Novels, both from The University of Dundee. He is interested in comic and editorial illustration, graphic poster and book cover design and his work largely involves combining traditional hand drawn illustration, in pencil or ink, with clean digital shapes and bold colours to create striking imagery.
 
BOOKSHOP.ORG GOLDEN TICKET
Win books for life with Bookshop.org this October! Now in its second year, Bookshop.org’s Golden Bookmark competition will grant one lucky winner £250 in Bookshop.org gift cards every year for life, supporting independent bookshops. The competition starts on 1^st October and runs until the end of the month, with special activities planned around Bookshop Day. Participants will be able to enter following a special link, and will receive five bonus entries each time someone enters through their referral link, which will be made available to them after their entry is submitted.
 
BOOKS ARE MY BAG LIMITED-EDITION BAG
Artist, author and illustrator Angela Harding will design this year’s Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag, which will be available exclusively in bookshops from Bookshop Day onwards, while stocks last. For this year’s Limited-Edition Bag, she was inspired by the scenic landscape of Shetland and its iconic otters. Angela joins the likes of artists and illustrators such as Poonam Mistry, Jackie Morris, Dapo Adeola, Charlie Mackesy, Sir Peter Blake, Tracey Emin and Orla Kiely, who have designed previous editions of the bag.
 
CAMPAIGN ARTWORK
This year, the artwork for the Bookshop Day campaign has been commissioned from award-winning illustrator and picture book author Sophy Henn. Holding a Master’s in illustration from the University of Brighton, Sophy is the creator of the much-loved Bad Nana series, the Pom Pom series, the Ted board book series, and the non-fiction titles Lifesize and Lifesize Dinosaurs, among others. Sophy was the World Book Day Illustrator in 2015 and 2016.
 
CHOOSE BOOKSHOPS VIDEO
To mark Bookshop Day, the Booksellers Association will be releasing a video featuring a number of authors, including household names, debut writers, and illustrators, which will be shared on Books Are My Bag socials channels (@booksaremybag on Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube) on Wednesday 9 October at 6pm.
 
CHOOSE CHRISTIAN BOOKSHOPS
Bookshop Day will run in collaboration with specialist Christian bookshops, to celebrate and connect with their Christian community. The Christian Booksellers Group committee has been working with the Booksellers Association to focus on bringing the campaign together and celebrate Christian bookshops as part of Bookshop Day. Bookshop Day events include:
 

• Oasis Christian Bookshop (Wallington) will be running a book stall at Kensington Area Growing Younger training day on Bookshop Day at 10:00am – 2:00pm. More info here. They’ll also be doing a book signing with Emma Allen, with lovely children’s activities, on Saturday 19 October at 1:30pm – 4:30pm.
• The GLO Bookshop (Motherwell, Scotland) celebrates their 50^th anniversary on Bookshop Day. A short service of reflection and celebration will be followed by buffet lunch, and all are welcome. The event will also feature a book launch with local author Connie MacLeod. The day starts at 11:00am. More info about the bookshop here.

 
Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association, commented: “Bookshop Day 2024 is less than three weeks away, and this year sees a fantastic and full line-up of events. Bookshop Day highlights what a difference  local bookshops make to the their high street and communityBe sure to visit your local bookshop on Bookshop Day (and beyond), and take advantage of the opportunity to browse, ask for recommendations, purchase a signed copy or special edition, and maybe even get started on your seasonal gift-buying”
 
Details of Bookshop Day events taking place across the country can be found on the Books Are My Bag Facebook events page. Booklovers can also find out about events happening in bookshops near them by signing up to National Book Tokens Discover – the ultimate destination for all things books – or by searching for their local bookshops on the National Book Tokens site. Find more at nationalbooktokens.com
 
Follow the latest developments for Bookshop Day on social media: #BookshopDay @booksaremybag