The dates for Academic Book Week 2020 (#AcademicBookWeek) have been announced today, with the fifth annual event due to take place from 9-13 March 2020, with “Academic Books and the Environment” as the central theme. 

Run by the Booksellers Association (BA), the week’s aim is to show how academic books can spark and influence the debate on the most topical issues of our time, with events, panels, promotions, competitions and exclusives taking place across the country. 

Returning with a brand-new website, Academic Book Week 2020 will open up a dialogue between the makers, providers and readers of academic books, and increase awareness of the academic book as a vehicle for ground-breaking ideas, as well as alerting policy-makers to its importance as part of the intellectual ecosystem of the UK.
 
Celebrating the diversity, variety and influence of academic books, Academic Book Week is calling for events, from all those who read, write, publish, sell or work with academic books – this includes individuals, organisations and stakeholders.

Will Williams, Head of Academic Sales, Blackwell’s Bookshops and Chair of Academic Booksellers Group, said: “Since its inception, Academic Book Week has become an increasingly important event for campus booksellers. It is our opportunity, each year, to demonstrate engagement with academic authorship and to celebrate academic works which have advanced our understanding of the world. This year’s theme of ‘Academic Books and The Environment’ could not be more relevant and timely and I am excited to see how campus booksellers, academics and students interact with each other in order to curate bookselling events, with the aim of growing awareness of the incredible research and writing UK academics are providing on this subject.”

Earlier this year, the BA showed its commitment to environmental issues by launching “Green Bookselling: A Manifesto for the BA, Booksellers and the Book Industry”, calling on publishers and distributors make tangible commitments to protecting the environment. Meanwhile, Greta Thunberg was voted Breakthrough Author in this year’s Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, demonstrating how the environment is close to readers’ hearts too.

Share Your Event 
Academic Book Week is calling for events from individuals, organisations and stakeholders in the academic book landscape. The organisers of Academic Book Week are particularly interested in debates, seminars, workshops, competitions and interview suggestions.

Any events share with Academic Book Week will benefit from listing and promotion on the Academic Book Week website, and promotion via the PR team in the run up to and during the week. If you would like to propose an event to take place during Academic Book Week, please use this event registration form: https://academicbookweek.com/register-event

Follow the latest developments via Twitter: @AcBookWeek #AcademicBookWeek.