Publishing News reports that a major marketing initiative for independent booksellers has been agreed by the Booksellers Association, which has worked with Bertrams, Gardners and THE to bring the scheme to fruition. The campaign, which uses the Love Your Local Bookshop logo originally established by Books@Hoddesdon, begins this autumn when independent booksellers and their customers will vote on a shortlist of 20 titles (10 children’s) which will be showcased in the BA’s Christmas catalog. The shortlist will be decided by independent booksellers from a longlist derived from sales data that specifically relates to independent bookshops. The BA will provide point of sales for the Independent Booksellers’ Book of the Year 2007.
Dallas Manderson, Group Sales Director at Orion, praised the scheme, saying: “This is an innovative idea which can only help increase sales and raise the profile of the independent sector.”