Independent Bookshop Week

As the end of assignment and exam season is quickly approaching, the occurrence of Independent Bookshop Week is exciting. It is a week-long event which all students and booklovers should have in their summer diary.  

Independent Bookshop Week will be taking place between the 15 and 22 June, with Hachette UK returning as the headline sponsor, to collaborate with 700 independent bookshops from throughout the UK. There will be celebrations throughout the week with a variety of events: talks with local authors and poets, a BookTok Tour, and a nationwide Big Book Club. There really is an event for every type of reader during Independent Bookshop Week! 

For University of Warwick students, Independent Bookshop Week creates an accessible platform for students which will not only further ignite their love for reading but will enable them to connect with the local community. For instance, our local cosy independent bookshop, Kenilworth Books will be hosting an event on Saturday 22 June (between 10:30am-3:30pm) which will welcome a number of children’s authors, literary novelists, and non-fiction writers. This event might just help you find your next favourite author.  

For those within the local community who wish to branch out and explore other independent bookshop gems, Script Haven in Worcester are launching Breathless – Breathe More, a collaborative event with both artists and poets. Alongside this, there is a spoken word poetry event to raise awareness for local refugees. Alternatively, there is a mystery London bookshop crawl on Wednesday 19 June. Tickets cost £14 but will supply participants with four hours’ worth of London bookshop sightseeing and will be the perfect time to break your book-buying ban.  

“This year Independent Bookshop Week will be hosting their very first nationwide Big Book Club”

This year Independent Bookshop Week will be hosting their very first nationwide Big Book Club. The goal is for a number of Independent Bookshops throughout the UK to host their very own book club evenings on Wednesday 19 June, which aim to consolidate both local and national communities through their love for reading. The Heath Bookshop in Birmingham, one of the most local independent bookshops for University of Warwick students, is currently participating in the event and is one of many bookshops that will be hosting their own book club evening.  

“The week-long event intends to encourage an interest in shopping both locally and independently whilst inspiring more individuals to find a comfort in reading”

The week-long event intends to encourage an interest in shopping both locally and independently whilst inspiring more individuals to find a comfort in reading. It is evident that the event’s ethos surrounds providing accessible reading platforms to members of local communities nationwide through their compelling range of events and their wider initiative.  

For example, Independent Bookshop Week will be hosting their third BookTok Tour, which will allow individuals to connect with a plethora of BookTokers from across the UK. Some confirmed BookTokers include:  emilymiahreads (73.4K), amymaybooks (67.2K),  whatbritreads (56.1K) and  samfallingbooks (49.9K). These influencers will be providing exclusive content from their local independent bookshops. This will grant those unable to attend in-person events and those from outside the UK, the opportunity to take part in the week’s events. 

During the duration of Independent Bookshop Week, the ‘High Five for Bookshops’ initiative aims to further encourage the accessibility and affordability that often intertwines with shopping in independent bookshops. ‘High Five for Bookshops’ awards this loyalty as each participating bookshop will receive 100 vouchers which customers can use to claim a £5 gift card to use in-store. The campaign produces a valuable form of protection to independent bookshops who often have to fight for survival alongside the competitive nature of nationwide bookshop chains. ‘High Five for Bookshops’ has created a successful campaign, with 92,000 vouchers being sent to stores last year (a 200% increase since 2019) and will continue to thrive during Independent Bookshop this year.  

Independent Bookshop Week provides an ample opportunity to booklovers to discover the hidden gems within their local independent bookshops, whilst interacting with their local community. The accessibility, community, and enjoyment that remains foundational to Independent Bookshop Week should be experienced and celebrated by all its participants, students, and wider local communities.