How about a little good news to end the week? The Booker Prize Foundation recently announced winners of its second Booker Prize Indie Bookshop Spotlight competition, which celebrates indies across the U.K. and Ireland in conjunction with the release of the Booker shortlist as well as next week's winner's announcement. To enter, bookshops were asked to assemble in-store displays of the titles nominated for the prize, posting images of their activity on their social media channels.
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| At Bàrd Books, London | |
The six winning booksellers were the Portobello Bookshop, Edinburgh; Fourbears Books, Reading; Bàrd Books, London; the Secret Bookshelf, Carrickfergus; Hold Fast Bookshop, Leeds; and Books Upstairs, Dublin. Bàrd Books, was chosen at random as the overall winner and receives tickets to attend the November 12 Booker Prize ceremony in London.
In interviews, booksellers from each winning shop talked about why indies matter and explained the importance of the Booker Prize to them and their readers.
At the end of a post-election week here in the U.S. when we've showcased bookshops stepping up to help their patrons negotiate the aftermath, it somehow felt appropriate to highlight the perspective of fellow booksellers across the pond on the crucial role indies play in so many people's lives.
One of the questions asked of the winners in the interview was: "Why do you think independent bookselling is so important?"
Alex Forbes, owner of Fourbears Books: "I think Indie bookselling brings something different to the high street. Whether it be promoting lesser-known books and sharing a special read which doesn't have mainstream publicity, or having a conversation with customers about what they want to read rather than relying on algorithms, then that customer returns for their next books. There's an individuality about an indie where no two will be the same, which adds to the magic. We also have many customers who are quite lonely and a bookshop is such a safe space for them to come and chat with someone, even if it's not about books."
Victoria and Chris Bonner, owners of Hold Fast Bookshop: "If there is anything better than chatting about books all day, we have yet to find it and it's such a vital part of independent bookselling. It's great to see the interactions in a bookshop--customers often start chatting to each other about what they have read or enjoyed. That doesn't really happen in other shops--it's as if 'normal rules' don't apply in bookshops and by stepping in you know things will be a little calmer, more chatty and comfortable. It's also so important for readers to see a range of books of all kinds of genres. I think most have more courage and a sense of adventure with their book choices than the dreaded algorithm would ever give them credit for."
Owner Vicki Shenkin Kerr and manager Kristin Griffin of Bàrd Books: "Independent bookselling is integral to a healthy community. After the pandemic, it is important we have these in-person spaces to reconnect. Bookshops are places to give and receive reading recommendations. Whether relying on the expertise of the bookseller who can sharpen our tastes based on what we've enjoyed before or sparking up a conversation with a fellow book lover who can introduce us to something completely new."
Jack Clark, director of the Portobello Bookshop: "I believe independent bookselling and independent bookshops are a vital part of the high street and the wider local community. Indie bookshops, each with its own unique and special identity, provide a haven in which to spend time, separate from home or work, where people can get lost in stories, great conversations, and maybe even make a new friend or two. It's wonderful to see new bookshops opening in towns or villages that previously didn't have one, as they help add so much to a high street and community, and we're proud of how deep our connections with the local community run."
Chris Disley and Jo Zebedee, owners of the Secret Bookshelf: "As an author as well as a bookseller, Jo feels it's important to support the wider author ecosphere than the bestselling authors, only. If independent bookstores don't thrive the midlist authors suffer--and they're our range and home of so many books that we love. But it's also important to our communities, offering a safe space to enjoy books on every subject without judgment."
Louisa Earls, manager of Books Upstairs: "Our philosophy has always been to encourage the circulation of ideas, and we believe that independent bookshops like ours can make a huge difference to the cultural life of a city. Indie bookshops are in a unique position to engage in the social and political concerns that are important to their community. Since our beginnings, we've been committed to the principle of inclusivity. We are proud to have been the first bookshop in Ireland to have stocked queer literature, as well as feminist and other political books which were not easy to find in Ireland of the 1970s and 80s. We hope we've created a safe and welcoming space for all readers."
Final thought for a crazy week: One of my favorite Booker shortlisted novels, Charlotte Wood's Stone Yard Devotional, features an epigraph from Elizabeth Hardwick: "This is what I have decided to do with my life just now. I will do this work of transformed and even distorted memory and lead this life, the one I am leading today."