Owning a bookshop may seem a natural and attractive proposition if you love and have a great knowledge of books. However, your love and knowledge have to be combined with business acumen if your bookshop is to succeed. Remember that at the end of the month, like any other retail business, you will have to meet the cost of rent, rates, telephone, electricity, bank charges, and salaries, not to mention payments to your suppliers.

In addition, you will be competing against existing bookshops. Try to think of a special niche to fill, sell something different, or come up with a unique selling proposition.

You need to make sure you:

• - have the necessary knowledge and experience;
• - have the right financial backing; and
• - are prepared to work hard.

The best way to learn about bookselling is to work in a bookshop. Even a week or two can give you a sense of the day-to-day realities of the trade, such as dealing with all those unfamiliar faces and demands, working on a till, ordering stock, looking after the existing stock, handling invoices - an experience otherwise impossible to achieve in any other way. Also, if you are new to business, see if a local college runs courses for business beginners. 

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Resources
We have produced an essential resources page for aspiring and new booksellers, which includes links to other useful book trade organisations and publications. We also have an online Retail Directory which has detailed information on book wholesalers and suppliers, bookshop equipment suppliers, etc.

You can see a bookseller job profile here.

We have four key services to help you in the planning of your bookshop:

1. We run a training course Introduction to Bookselling, which is tutored for us by award-winning bookseller Patrick Neale, who runs Jaffe & Neale Bookshop & Cafe in Chipping Norton. 

The course runs twice a year for those considering opening a shop in the UK;  and once a year for Irish delegates. The next UK course will take place on 9 October 2025. Full details and the booking form can be found here. 
The next Irish course will take place in the spring of 2026. Both the UK and the Irish courses are run on Zoom.


2. We publish a book called How to Start and Run a Bookshop  (338 pages) in eBook/PDF format at a cost of £25 + VAT. If you have any questions please contact Kate Gunning.

If you are buying an existing bookshop, you may also find our free guide Transfer of Ownership - Top Tips for Buying an Existing Bookshop useful.

3. The BA can arrange one-to-one bookselling consultancy sessions for aspiring bookshop owners who don’t yet have BA membership. The consultants are highly experienced and the service they       provide is tailored to each client’s unique requirements. The consultants’ hourly rate is £75 (which is the minimum charge); the day rate is £500. Full payment is required in advance.
     If you would like to arrange a consultancy session, please contact Kate Gunning

4. For those considering opening a bookshop and keen to find out what the job of a bookshop owner involves on a day-today basis, the BA can arrange a one-day work experience placement in an       independent bookshop. This programme is paused over the summer, but will start up again in September, at which point full details will be posted here.