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Edmund de Waal, Maggie O’Farrell and Tony Parsons are among the authors
lined up to take part in Independent Booksellers Week. The week of events, in association with the Booksellers Association, will take place between 18-25th June and encourages independent retailers to publicise their businesses and form closer links with authors and publishers.
Other authors who have agreed to participate in bookshop events are former politician Ann Widdecombe, Hugo Vickers, Mavis Cheek, David Nobbs and Dave Gorman.
Publishers have also stepped up to support the week, with HarperCollins offering story-telling, games, colouring and visits from The Cat in the Hat as part of Dr Seuss’s birthday, while Walker Books is offering character costumers and activity packs for Maisy, Where’s Wally and Walker Bear. Others supporting the occasion include Random House, Hodder & Stoughton, Orion Books and Weidenfeld & Nicholson.
Meryl Halls, head of membership services at the Booksellers Association, said: “Independent Booksellers Week has always been well supported by authors around the country and this year looks set to be even better than ever."
Goldsboro Books in London has organised thirty crime writers to take part in a mini-crime festival which commemorates a real life, historic murder on their Cecil Court premises during the week.
This year IBW will culminate in National Reading Group Day on Saturday 25th June, a new initiative which will encourage booksellers to organise their own Reading Group Day or partner with other organisations such as local libraries, to create a lively reading group initiative.