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Fifty bookshops, including independents and selected Waterstones across the UK, are opening early on 7th September to mark the publication of Sally Rooney's new novel Beautiful World, Where Are You.
As part of Faber's campaign, 30 branches of Waterstones shops and 20 indies will open their doors to give customers the first chance to buy a copy and to receive an exclusive goodie bag and merchandise.
Bea Carvalho, Waterstones fiction buyer, said: "The release of Sally Rooney’s third novel is the most exciting and eagerly anticipated moment in this year’s literary calendar, and signifies the start of a truly stellar autumn of publishing. Few novelists are as beloved in Waterstones bookshops as Sally Rooney: both Conversations with Friends (Faber) and Normal People (Faber) were Waterstones Books of the Month, and Normal People was our 2018 Book of the Year.
"Our booksellers are determined to launch Beautiful World, Where Are You with enormous impact and buzz to reflect this passion, which is shared by so many of our customers. We are thrilled that 30 shops nationwide will be opening their doors early on publication day: with a head-start for this longed-for novel, and goodie-bags kindly provided by Faber on hand for early-birds, their customers are in for a treat."
The following Waterstones stores will open early: Ashford, Birmingham High Street, Bluewater, Bristol Galleries, Bromley, Canterbury, Clapham, Cork, Crouch End, Dorchester, Dublin Hodges Figgis, Durham, Ealing, Edinburgh, Exeter, Falkirk, Glasgow, Gower Street, Greenwich, Leeds, Liverpool, Maidstone, Norwich, Petersfield, Piccadilly, Stockport, Wandsworth, Winchester, Yarm and York.
Several independent bookshops will also be hosting early opening breakfasts. Among the participating shops are Portobello Books, Linghams, Kibworth Books, Griffin Books, Max Minerva's, Topping & Co, Nomad Books, Village Books, Chorleywood Bookshop, Lutyens & Rubinstein, BookBar, Sevenoaks Bookshop, Bookseller Crow, Hastings Bookshop, City Books, Maldon Books, Dial Lane Books, Red Lion Books, Phlox Books and The Bookery.
The novel has two cover designs, created especially for indie bookshops, Waterstones and Easons. The jacket has been designed by Jon Gray under the art direction of Donna Payne, creative director at Faber, with illustrations from Manshen Lo, represented by the Heart Agency.
An exclusive edition for indie bookshops features a yellow colourway. Meanwhile, the Waterstones edition is in blue and will also include an exclusive short story from Rooney and have yellow sprayed edges. A trade paperback exclusive to Easons will also feature yellow sprayed edges.
Sara Talbot, Faber's sales director, said: "We've been bowled over by the early support from booksellers for Beautiful World, Where Are You, and we cannot wait to press a copy of the novel into the hands of Sally's many fans on 7th September."