Spiracle is launching Audiobook in a Card, designed to integrate the digital audiobook market with bookshops in the U.K. The Bookseller reported that the initiative "will make audiobooks of titles published by independent publishers available in brick-and-mortar bookshops for £12 [about $15.25]. The aim is to offer customers the benefit of the recommendations of booksellers, rather than having a purely algorithmic experience."
Available audiobooks through the program are those that Spiracle has co-published with indie presses that may not have been released as audiobooks in the past. Income from sales of Audiobook in a Card is split between the publisher, bookseller, and Spiracle.
Indie bookshops taking part in the pilot include Burley Fisher Books and Libreria Bookshop in east London; the Mainstreet Trading Company in Melrose; the Book Hive in Norwich; Hewson Books in Brentford; La Biblioteka in Sheffield; Dead Ink Books in Liverpool; Medina Bookshop in Cowes on the Isle of Wight; Mostly Books in Abingdon; and the Stoke Newington Bookshop in north London.
"We are delighted and proud to be able to share great literature from small publishers in a new form with the Audiobook in a Card series from Spiracle," said Ross Hoey of Hewson Books. "They are visually striking, appealing to customers with their original aesthetic, and very well made. The range is curated and diverse, so there really is something for everyone."
Lloyd Sowerbutts of Libreria Bookshop added: "This year we are proud to broaden our offer into audiobooks by partnering with Spiracle, who work with the best indie presses, such as And Other Stories, Fitzcarraldo Editions, Peninsula Press and Prototype, to bring readers a different way to enjoy exceptional and inventive writing."
Kate Bland, founder of Spiracle Audiobooks, commented: "We're really glad to have found a way for bookshops, the vital community hubs around the U.K., to benefit from the burgeoning audiobook business as well as a new way for listeners to discover audiobooks--to find brilliant, diverse writing read by talented narrators, brought to the listeners with genuine curation and care."
---
 |
|
| Melissa Oliver (l.) | |
At this year's Aetorea NZ Book Industry Awards, held during the recent Booksellers Aotearoa Annual Conference & Trade Day in Auckland, Melissa Oliver of Unity Books Wellington was named Emerging Bookseller of the Year, one of 15 honors presented at the event.
"Melissa was a clear standout among a group of standouts. We were so impressed by what she is doing to foster community and support local writers and publishers," said the judges.
The Nielsen BookData NZ Bookshop of the Year was jointly awarded to Petronella's Bookstore in Tekapo and The Booklover in Milford. The judges say they were impressed with all entries in this category, which reflected the strategy and effort that sits behind selling books.
"The decision was difficult, but ultimately Petronella's and the Booklover share the award for their business success, place in the community, inviting stores and for their outstanding knowledge of their respective markets," the judges noted.
Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand association manager Renee Rowland observed: "Booksellers, like most retailers, are impacted by the softening in sales across the motu. The winners celebrated this evening have all pushed the boat out, working extremely hard, as all our bookseller members do, to ensure success now and in the future. On behalf of the association, I thank and salute you all."
Claire Mabey, books editor for the Spinoff Review of Books, filed a report from the "litterati glitterati" event, noting that the awards night "brought together an Aotearoa of bookish brilliance: a constellation of movers and shakers representing intergenerational collegiality. The old wave and the new together riding the ebb and flow of the industry, and the world."
---
Bookshop window display: "How can you stroll past a window display like this at an indie bookstore and not head inside? It’s just not possible!" the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association posted on Facebook. "These great picks from @cavershambooks are from an array of genres for any kind of reader that you should definitely check out from your local indie bookstore." --Robert Gray