Book covers from the list ‘Animals Are Better Than Us,’ from Sandpiper Books. One of the honors in the new Indie Champions competition is for a list that generates strong revenue on the UK site. Image: Bookshop.org
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
See also: Interview: Andy Hunter on Bookshop.org’s Second Anniversary
At Least Eight Categories
Having reached its second anniversary on January 28–Publishing Perspectives readers will recall our interview with founder Andy Hunter—the British arm of Bookshop.org today (November 16) has announced the first shortlists in its new Indie Champion Awards.
The intent of this awards program, say organizers, is “to recognize the individuals and organizations that have supported independent bookshops the most [by] using Bookshop.org in 2022.” Thus, the honors will go to authors, publishers, organizations, and others showing the most support for independents this year.
Winners are to be named in a digital presentation on January 23.
Indie Champions Awards 2022: Authors
The author recognition in this program has four sub-categories: fiction, nonfiction, children’s literature, and lifestyle-and-culture material. The program, in its media messaging, says, “Notable author efforts include linking to Bookshop.org; promoting the platform’s mission; providing additional or exclusive content in the form of a list, author letter, or video; and/or being available for Bookshop.org’s book-as-ticket events or Bookshop.org’s town halls for booksellers who use the platform.
Links provided here for book titles go to Bookshop.org. It’s normally our policy to link to publishers’ pages, not to retail sites, but in the case of this awards program produced by a retailer, we’re using its links, as provided.
Fiction
- Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground
- Alice Oseman, creator of the Heartstopper series
- Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo
- Gabrielle Zevin, author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Nonfiction
- Jeffery Boakye, author of I Heard What You Said
- Cal Flynn, author of Islands of Abandonment
- Katy Hessel, author of The Story of Art Without Men
- Michelle Zauner, author of Crying in H Mart
Children’s Literature
- Roma Agarwal, author of How Was That Built?
- Dara McAnulty, author of Diary of A Young Naturalist
- Jason Reynolds, author of When I Was the Greatest
- Chris Haughton, author of A Bit Lost and Shh! We Have a Plan
Lifestyle and Culture
- Leif Bersweden, author of Where the Wildflowers Grow
- Brian Bilston, author of Days Like These
- Leena Norms, author of Bargain Bin Rom-Com
- River Cottage, home of cookery courses, events and books
Indie Champions Awards 2022: Publishers
This category honors publishers and publishing divisions doing the most to support independent bookshops through Bookshop.org. Both categories of “Overall Publisher” and “Publisher Professional of the Year” look to recognize a combination of efforts made and the resulting funds generated for independent booksellers. Publishers have been shortlisted for their efforts to include consistent online linking to independents, tagging or linking Bookshop.org in their digital marketing activities, and for regular collaboration to develop creative campaigns, including access to authors, exclusive content, and competitions.
Notable efforts of publisher professionals include bringing a distinct offer to Bookshop.org within wider marketing activities; first-class support covering sales, marketing, and publicity; developing new ideas on how to make the most of Bookshop.org; championing the platform within the publishing house; and helping Bookshop.org reach new audiences.
Overall Publisher
Publisher Professional of the Year
- Vicky Boff, marketing director at Hodder & Stoughton
- Richard Green, independent bookshop and wholesaler manager at Pan Macmillan
- Glenn Holmes, sales and marketing manager at Bloomsbury
- Katrina Northern, marketing manager at Vintage
Podcasting
Honoring podcasts that have supported independent bookshops through Bookshop.org, the podcasts shortlisted here, the program says, “have demonstrated consistency in creating Bookshop.org lists featuring the books mentioned in each of their episodes, using Bookshop.org links on their sites and social media, and mentioning Bookshop.org on-air.
Innovative Use of Bookshop.org
This category awards organizations or individuals who have used Bookshop.org in innovative ways this year, with their efforts contributing to Bookshop.org’s mission to support independent bookshops. Notable efforts include imaginative content creation with author lists; media partnerships including TikTok; consistent use of Bookshop.org’s links; and speaking at Bookshop.org’s Town Halls.
Champion Titles and Lists 2022
Nicole Vanderbilt
There are two categories without shortlists. The Indie Champion Title of the Year and Indie Champion List of the Year are intended to be the book and the list that generated the most money this year. These are to be chosen based strictly on sale figures, with data tracked though December 31.
In a prepared comment about the new program, Nicole Vanderbilt, managing director of Bookshop.org UK, is quoted, saying, “Since our UK launch, we’ve been so impressed by how the publishing industry has embraced our platform and used it in creative ways … benefiting indies by doing so.
“With these awards, we want to recognize individuals, publishers, and platforms doing a brilliant job on Bookshop.org and making a difference for indies, and to inspire others to do the same.”
This is Publishing Perspectives’ 192nd awards-related report in the 207 publication days since our 2022 operations began on January 3.
More from Publishing Perspectives on bookselling is here, more on Bookshop.org is here, more on its founder Andy Hunter is here, more on bookstores is here, and more on Amazon is here.