Australian bookstore chain QBD Books is opening in the location of the former Dymocks store in Sydney's Broadway Shopping Centre, with a grand opening celebration scheduled for November 13. Author and TV presenter Sarah Di Lorenzo will perform an official ribbon-cutting alongside QBD Books CEO Nick Croydon and QBD Books national manager Gary Parker-Shirley.
"We're proud to be a flagbearer for bricks and mortar bookstores, and in many locations, such as Broadway, we've been able to come in and ensure books have a continued presence in the community," said Croydon. "Broadway is an exciting location for us because of its proximity to some of Australia's best universities--including the University of Sydney and University of Technology Sydney--and the avid readers amongst their student and lecturer populations."
Croydon added a note of caution, however: "At the same time, there's no question that traditional bookstores are facing challenges, and the figures show that in the last 10 years nearly half of all stores have closed--in 2013 there were 2,879 bookstores nationally, whereas today we only have 1,473. For us, when we bought QBD in October 2016, the company had a network of 55 stores, and I'm proud to say that in the last seven years we've been able to grow that figure to 86 stores, as we continue on our mission to reach 100 stores."
He also highlighted that further investment in QBD bookstores nationally, with another opening planned in Melbourne before the end of the year, along with expansion and refurbishment of stores across the QBD network.
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British booksellers Diss Publishing Bookshop and Hungerford Bookshop were shortlisted in the Romantic Bookseller of the Year category for the 2023 Romantic Novelists Association Industry Awards, which "celebrate the hard work and talent of any person, group or organization who has championed the broad genre of romantic fiction in a positive way." Winners in 10 categories will be named November 13 during the RNA's Winter Party and Industry Awards ceremony in London. Check out the complete 2023 shortlists here.
Laura James, the RNA Industry Awards organizer, commented: "For the past five years as Industry Awards organizer, I've witnessed many changes in the world, including the role of social media within the publishing industry, but the passion for romantic fiction remains. It grows stronger by the letter; by the chapter; by each book. In both self-published and traditionally published novels, industry professionals work together to produce quality happy ever afters, from writers to editors, cover designers and publishers, book bloggers, reviewers and social media experts, narrators, agents, booksellers and librarians. The RNA Industry Awards are our way of thanking and celebrating the hard-working industry professionals. Congratulations to all our finalists."
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Assouline's new flagship store in That Concept Store in Mall of Emirates, Dubai, UAE, "is sure to be exciting news for bookworms and collectors alike," the National reported, adding that the new store "includes a wall of bookshelves displaying their intricately crafted books, aiming to inspire visitors about how they can incorporate book displays and collecting into their spaces."
Noting that there are "a lot of stories to be told from the Middle East," Alex Assouline, COO, brand and strategy, said, "It's an ever-growing region, fast-paced, but also one that has a lot of heritage. There are not a lot of people worldwide who don't know about that. So, we're here to work with every government or country to shine lights on specific topics that are important and deserve their own publication.... It's been very exciting and inspiring as well because there's so much to cover and there's so much to learn from in this region. These doors are starting to open and I want to be able to tell these stories as well, because each country has its own, interesting factors."
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Anne Martelle has been re-elected president of Syndicat de la librairie française (SLF). The European & International Booksellers Federations Newsflash reported that Martelle, owner and manager of the Martelle bookshop in Amiens, has held the position since 2020 and will now serve a new three-year term.
In addition, Alexandra Charroin-Spangenberg, manager of the Paris bookshop in Saint-Etienne, and Amanda Spiegel, manager of the Folies d'Encre bookshop in Montreuil, assume the roles of v-ps of the SLF. --Robert Gray