READ all about it – independent bookshops in Scotland are thriving due to “a love of books” running through the whole of society.
And First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has been praised for sharing her passion for reading and supporting independent booksellers across the country.
“It’s electrifying and hugely impactful in a way that I can’t recall happening with politicians in any of the other home nations,” said Mark Thornton of Bookshop.org which represents 67 independent bookshops in Scotland. “You get a sense of reading and a love of books running through the whole of Scottish society with indie bookshops being at the heart of that.”
Speaking to the Sunday National ahead of Book Week Scotland this week, he said some of the most successful bookshops in the whole of the UK are in Scotland.
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In Glasgow and Edinburgh alone there are 16 independent outlets, ranging from traditional high street bookshops to radical, activist and community-led.
Meanwhile, island bookshops often provide services that go way beyond traditional bookselling, including publishing, offering print services and even printing local newspapers such as the Shetland Times and The Orcadian.
They also often have specialist booksellers concentrating on local culture and history, as well as the Gaelic language such as Carmina Gadelica in Portree on Skye.
“Spending time with Scottish booksellers gives you a sense of both the cultural and political importance of books,” said Thornton. “Scottish booksellers championed – and got me excited – about the writer Graeme Macrae Burnet long before his novel Case Study appeared on the Booker longlist this year.”
Argonaut Books is one of several new independent bookshops that have opened in Edinburgh recently and it is trading well, despite the cost of living crisis. Until it opened there was no independent bookseller in the area – even though it is the most densely populated area in Scotland and Trainspotting, one of the country’s most famous modern novels, is set in Leith, Owner Adam Barclay, who has lived most of his life in Leith, said that although opening a business is always a risk, people were responding well to the shop’s stock.
“The sector is pretty healthy, especially in Edinburgh which is Unesco City of Literature,” he said. “I think we have more bookshops per head in Scotland than in England and in Edinburgh, there are 12.
“Initiatives like Book Week Scotland really help and the Scottish Government clearly has an interest in promoting the publishing sector with books like Duck Feet being given Scots language publishing grants.”
Barclay said there would always be customers who bought books online but they could still support independent sellers by buying from https://uk.bookshop.org/.
“It does genuinely support independent bookshops – we curate lists to put on the website and if people choose us to support at checkout we get a bit of a payout from that sale,” he said.
Another newcomer to the Scottish independent bookshop scene is Night Owl in East Linton in East Lothian, which opened six months ago and is well supported by the local community.
“Some people might think it is a bit mad to be opening an independent bookshop in the current climate but actually so many people want to shop local and support independent shops that I have been really thrilled,” said owner Rebecca Wall.
She said the most important aspect of independent bookshops is that each is unique.
“Every one will have its own taste and offer titles you might not get in big chains or supermarkets and offer a personal service,” she said. “I chat to people to find out what their favourite books are and their interests, then pick out books for them to choose from.
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“And as well as books, Night Owl has gifts for sale from a lot of local artists and makers and I try to hold a lot of events.
“For example, I am holding a Black Friday Bookswap which is encouraging people to bring a donation for the local foodbank and swap books with each other. A lot of bookshops are very conscious of being part of their community.
“We are also keen to hold events which raise awareness of authors’ work. We have a huge amount of talent in Scotland which is amazing and bookshops are keen to support them.”
For more about Book Week Scotland go to https://www.scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-scotland.
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