The Booksellers Association is re-launching its project inviting senior publishers to spend a day working on the shopfloor of a bookshop.
 
Following the success of previous versions of the project inviting publishers to spend a day working in a bookshop, the initiative is now being rolled out across the year, with the first publishers being invited to work in bookshops during September.
 
Offering senior publishers an invaluable opportunity to experience bookselling first-hand, the scheme aims to further increase collaboration between bookshops and publishers.
 
Meryl Halls, Managing Director at the Booksellers Association, which represents chain and indie bookshops across the UK and Ireland, said: “Having run our Shopfloor Publishers scheme a couple of times in the past, we’re excited to be rolling it out as a year-round offering to our member bookshops and to publishers across the book industry. The feedback from booksellers and publishers who have taken part in the scheme previously has been overwhelmingly positive, with the initiative leading to greater understanding on both sides, and opportunities for collaboration.   We look forward to hearing form any publisher that would like to take part.”
 
Hazel Broadfoot, BA President and Owner of Village Books in Dulwich, said: “Following the pandemic, and the changes wrought on the industry by it, and by the current cost of living crisis, it feels like the time is right to relaunch this collaboration project, and bring booksellers and publishers together.
 
“For publishers, working in a bookshop for a day can be an eye-opening experience: it is a chance to appreciate what booksellers do, while witnessing consumer behaviour up close. We’ve been delighted that a number of bookshops have been reciprocally invited into publishing houses and we hope to see that happen again this time round; booksellers will be equally enlightened by seeing the inside workings of publishing.”
 
The Booksellers Association has invited members to volunteer to host senior publishers in their store for the day, and will be matching these with publishers.
 
Interested publishers are invited to get in touch with [email protected].