The British Book Awards unveiled the regional and country winners for the 2023 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, which "celebrates those stores that continue to support their local communities with bespoke bookselling and tailored initiatives," the Bookseller reported.
"Independent bookselling has come out of the other side of the pandemic at its healthiest point in decades; as a result our regional and country finalists for this year might be our strongest ever," said chair of the judges Tom Tivnan, the Bookseller's managing editor. "The through line is innovation as all of the winners have experimented with new ways to expand their businesses to get books into more readers' hands.... What has been really cheering is that this is consistent across the board from, not just the newer shops, but the concerns that have been trading successfully for decades. The great indie booksellers in Britain and Ireland never sit back, they are always pressing forward."
The nine regional and country winners are now in contention for the overall Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, which will be named May 15 at the British Book Awards ceremony in London. The country and regional winners are: Niche Comics Books, Huntingdon (East England); Halfway up the Stairs, Greystones (Island of Ireland), Nomad Books (London), the Rabbit Hole, Brigg (Midlands); Forum Books, Corbridge (North England); The Edinburgh Bookshop (Scotland); Mostly Books, Abingdon (South-East England); Storysmith, Bristol (South-West England); and Griffin Books, Penarth (Wales).
Check out the rest of the Book Trade awards and the Book of the Year shortlists here.
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Nicholas Croydon, CEO of Australian bookstore chain QBD Books, spoke recently with the Sydney Morning Herald about changing consumer book tastes and future plans for the company.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, "business books did well as people start to think about starting businesses, as well as self-help and meditation, New Age and all that sort of thing--navel-gazing was really strong," he observed. "Now all that self-help and New Age, that's all gone. People have gone back to cooking, so cooking has had a bit of a revival, and just general fiction, people see that as entertainment."
Croydon also noted that the company, which is owned by a syndicate of investors including himself, JB Hi-Fi boss Terry Smart and founding partner of Next Capital Patrick Elliott, will launch its 17th store in Victoria, in Frankston's Bayside Shopping Centre on April 1, bringing the total store count to 86, with a target of 100 QBD bricks-and-mortar locations.
"The goal is to open three to four new stores a year, or expand existing ones, and the company is scouring the nation for the perfect retail sites where foot traffic is strong and shoppers are in want of a bookshop," the Morning Herald wrote.
He is less enthusiastic about online prospects, which soared during the lockdown years but now account for about 10% of QBD's sales, noting: "It is very hard to make a profit selling books online.... Online has its place, but it's very hard to browse; it's impossible to get advice. I think that's what sets us apart. It's not a sale. It's a kind of friendly discussion on what you're looking for and what you might enjoy."
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Bookseller moment: Iron Dog Books, Vancouver, B.C., Canada: "Goodness, I could live in a day like today forever! The cold edge of the morning and the strengthening sun say asparagus and chives aren't far off, that there is camellia and magnolia to look forward to, that migratory birds are returning. I love days like today because I can feel slivers of the future, promising change and possibility. I love spring! It's a good day to get outside. If your walk brings you to the bookstore that's lovely, but more importantly I urge you to go outside and breathe in the sense of potential." --Robert Gray