The news that Starbucks plans to sell books in its 450 UK stores should be no surprise, considering the success the coffee retailer has had in the US with its two book selections to date, Mitch Albom‘s FOR ONE MORE DAY and Ishmael Beah‘s A LONG WAY GONE. The Bookseller reports that the UK stores will start selling Beah’s book – published by Fourth Estate – beginning on May 21. The chain is believed to be in discussions with Nielsen BookScan to see if the sales can be picked up for inclusion in UK bestseller charts.
“We’re thrilled that Starbucks have chosen to sell Ishmael’s book this spring,” said John Bond, m.d. of HarperCollins‘ literary division, Press Books. “We’re really excited about working closely with them to help spread the word; this will mean getting more copies of this important book into the hands of more people.” And it means that UK publishers can start pitching Starbucks in droves for its next book selection…