Whilst I have to confess I do buy most of my books online there is nothing quite like walking into a bookshop with no particular purpose other than to sample the latest hardback and paperback offerings. I often feel guilty about buying books from the likes of Amazon, especially when so many local independent book stores are struggling to make ends meet financially. Unfortunately, being a student with a love for literature has meant that in order to feed my inner book worm I often have to opt for the more affordable alternative. We should definitely be supporting independent book retailers who help to create strong communities and support the notion of shopping locally. If you are like me and you love books but often can't afford to pay £9.99 a pop then say hello to Independent Bookshop Week 2015 which kicks off this Saturday 20th June with lots of fantastic events happening at over 400 indie bookshops all over the UK and Ireland throughout the entire week. What is Independent Bookshop Week (IBW)? It is a literary event run by the Booksellers Association. IBW is a campaign run by the Booksellers Association and its members to celebrate independent bookshops on the high streets of the UK & Ireland. It is closely associated with the Books Are My Bag campaign which celebrates all high street bookshops (including chains).
When is IBW? Independent Bookshop Week 2015 is taking place between Saturday June 20th and Saturday June 27th 2015.
What events are happening in IBW? The event incorporates National Reading Group Day on Saturday 20th June and the Bookshop Crawl on Saturday 27th June. Also click here to find out where your local indie bookstore is and find out what events they are hosting.
What is National Reading Group Day? National Reading Group Day is a collaboration between the The Booksellers Association and The Reading Agency and is designed as a partnership between bookshops and libraries. Given the importance of reading groups for both bookshops and libraries this year's collaboration focuses on debut authors r is seeking out the best debut reads. To begin the search this year, publishers are invited to nominate recent titles by debut writers which they would like to share with reading groups to inspire them to discover something different. All submissions will be listed on the Reading Groups for Everyone website, which also hosts resources and publisher offers for over 4,000 registered reading groups.The winning title will be announced on National Reading Group Day along with the reading groups selected to receive and review copies.
What is the Bookshop Crawl? The challenge is simple: pop out to your local bookshop on Saturday 27th June and simply buy a book. This the campaign is asking that you #giveabook to anyone you know. PS. It also falls on Fathers Day so if you are stuggling for something to get your pops, this may just work out a treat. #giveabook takes place throughout the entire IBW week with bookshops being equipped with specially produced postcards, ready for customers to fill out and share on Twitter and Instagram under the hashtag #giveabook.
Enjoy Independent Bookshop Week and remember to support local whenever you can.
PS. Keep an eye out over at @booksaremybag as they will be giving away book bundles all week as part of #indiebookaday.
