The Edinburgh Bookshop is the Scotland winner of the British Book Awards 2022 Independent Bookshop of the Year Award for a fourth time, adding to its 2014 Children’s Bookseller of the Year trophy.
The awards are sponsored by Gardners and supported by The Booksellers Association and the nine UK winners were selected from 63 finalists.
Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller’s managing editor, said: “This was undoubtedly the most competitive year we have ever had for Independent Bookshop
of the Year, and these nine shops should feel justly proud for claiming their regional and country crowns when their fellow indies have also been flourishing. Although there are different models here, from long- time family-run shops to a community-run not-for- profit, the common thread is constant innovation and unwavering support for local communities.
“It may be counterintuitive to say, but we just may be in the golden age of independent bookselling. The last 10 or 15 years have been the most testing of times for indies as they have battled against online competition, supermarket deep discounting, rising business rates and, of course recently, a global pandemic. But they have met the challenges; indies are thriving and the number of shops is rising. Perhaps it is because they combine the old with the new: that almost unique insider knowledge and deep love of books which they can impart to readers, along with a digital savviness as indies use everything from crowdfunding to TikTok to reach customers and improve their businesses.”
The nine regional and country winners are now in contention for the overall Independent Bookshop of the Year Award, announced at the British Book Awards winner ceremony to be held at Grosvenor House in London on Monday 23rd May 2022. The overall Independent Bookshop of the Year winner will also compete to be crowned Book Retailer of the Year. Full details of the ceremony will be announced in due course, but the ambition is to maintain the inclusivity and accessibility that the last two years’ digital events have facilitated, while bringing back the joy, festivity and glamour of the face-to-face experience.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
