These are some of the events planned for across the country on Bookshop Day

This year’s Bookshop Day promises to be jam-packed – including collaborating with literary festivals, a video in support of bookshops and a limited-edition tote bag.
Bookshop Day is a one-day nationwide celebration of all high street bookshops including independent bookshops, Blackwell’s, Waterstones and FoylesBookshop Day is a one-day nationwide celebration of all high street bookshops including independent bookshops, Blackwell’s, Waterstones and Foyles
Bookshop Day is a one-day nationwide celebration of all high street bookshops including independent bookshops, Blackwell’s, Waterstones and Foyles

Bookshop Day is on Saturday October 8 and aims to remind customers that there has never been a better time to shop at their local bookshop.

It falls eleven weeks before Christmas Eve and book-lovers are encouraged to start thinking about their Christmas shopping.

Here is what’s happening:

Bookshop and literary festivals

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A number of bookshops will be collaborating with their literary festivals, including Cheltenham and Manchester, to provide copies of books by speakers and organise distribution of author-signed copies.

Author events taking place on Bookshop Day include:

Kamila Shamsie, winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2018 and author of the new novel Best of Friends, will appear at Manchester Literature Festival on Saturday October 8 with books provided by Waterstones Manchester.

Ian McEwan, Mary Berry, Tom Read Wilson, Susie Dent, Damon Galgut, Katy Hessel, Joseph Coelho, Oliver Jeffers, Louie Stowell and many more will be doing author events at Cheltenham Literature Festival on Saturday October 8.

Ruth Jones, Simon Mayo, Jennifer Saint, Elodie Harper, Natasha Carthew, Michael Schmidt and more will be doing in-person and virtual events as part of Ilkley Literature Festival on Saturday October 8.

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Kit de Waal, Lenny Harry, Katherine Rundell, Melvyn Bragg, PP Arnold, Manjeet Mann, Amanda Quartey and more will be doing in-person and live-streamed events on Saturday October 8 at Henley Literary Festival.

Cardiff City spotlight

Bookshop Day will be shining a spotlight on Cardiff and its bookshops this year.

Limited-edition bag

Award-winning illustrator Jackie Morris is the creator of this year’s Books Are My Bag limited-edition bag, which will be available exclusively in bookshops from Bookshop Day.

Choose bookshops video

The Booksellers Association will be releasing a video featuring Kamila Shamsie, Lenny Henry, Rev Richard Coles and Maggie O’Farrell.

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The video will be released from the Books Are My Bag social media channels (@booksaremybag) on Wednesday October 5 at noon.

Bookshop.org has also announced an online live event with the Brian Bilston to celebrate his latest book Days Like These: An alternative guide to the year in 366 poems. The event is on Wednesday October 26 at 7pm. Access to the virtual event is free when customers pre-order or buy a copy of any of Brian’s books from a participating independent bookshop or via Bookshop.org. The link will be emailed to them on the day.

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