Hachette UK champions independent bookshops with author-led social media campaign

Hachette UK has joined forces with several of its brilliant authors for a new social media campaign which aims to celebrate and champion independent booksellers across the UK and Ireland, in support of Independent Bookshop Week (June 18^th – 25^th).

The campaign, now in its third year, will run on Hachette UK’s Twitter from Saturday, June 18^th, and centres around a series of videos from authors including James Cahill, Clare Mackintosh, and Lucy Diamond, as they share their favourite places to discover new books, and why independent bookshops are so important to them. The campaign launches as Hachette UK celebrates over 10 years as Independent Bookshop Week’s headline sponsor.

To further mark the occasion, Hachette Children’s Group has designed an exclusive Independent Bookshop Week tote bag, based on Rachel Bright and Jim Field’s The Lion Inside series, which will go out to all participating bookshops.

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, commented: “We’re very excited to once again be partnering with the Booksellers Association on this fantastic campaign. Independent bookshops are at the heart of our industry and couldn’t be more important to the communities they serve, and for the future of publishing.”

Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the Booksellers Association, commented: “We’re delighted and very grateful that the Hachette UK team and authors continue to support Independent Bookshop Week. We’re excited to see the author videos, and all the in-store activity that Hachette UK has created for this year. After two years of uncertainty and restrictions, we can’t wait to be back in our local independent bookshops for a week of celebration in June.”

Edward Chisholm, author of A Waiter in Paris (Octopus), said: “Independent bookshops are essential for both readers and writers alike. Without their support, new and local voices would struggle to break through and find an audience.”

Lucy Diamond, author of Anything Could Happen (Quercus), said: “I love being recommended a new book or author, particularly when I’ve never heard of them before, and this, for me, is what’s really special about independent bookshops: their enthusiastic, well-read staff who are brilliant at finding the perfect books for their customers. Thank you, indie booksellers, for all the great reads you have put my way over the years!”

Matt Cain, author of The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle (Headline) said: “I’m proud to support Independent Bookshop Week because I grew up in a small town where the indie bookstore was a lifeline for creative misfits like me. As a gay author, I’ve learnt that they can also be vital in supporting and serving minority communities – and bringing to the fore under-represented voices. They’re run with so much passion and care, we should celebrate them all as national treasures!”

Clare Mackintosh, author of The Last Party (Little, Brown), said: “The booksellers in independent bookshops champion the books they love, and the books they know their customers will love too. Independent bookshops are the most effective place for readers to discover new authors, and it’s crucial we keep them on our high streets.”

James Cahill, author of Tiepolo Blue (Hodder & Stoughton), said: “Independent bookshops are vital because they create a space for experimental, offbeat books. They champion the marginal as well as the mainstream. Literature itself would be poorer without them, which is why they need our support.”