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INDIVIDUAL BOOKSELLER OF THE YEAR
OVERVIEW Booksellers have had a lot to contend with over the past few years, and they happily embraced the return to normal bookselling in 2022. These eight professionals—seven of them from indie bookshops, and six nominated for the time—all impressed with their knowledge, service, collaborative approach and huge sales and reputations. Above all, they showed incredible passion for what is clearly not just a job but a vocation.
JOHN AVERY Waterstones’ senior commer- cial expert John Avery shows the amount of thinking that goes into selling books. His planning of store layouts, sections, décor, lighting and more creates the environ- ments for which the chain is renowned, and he raises the commercial nous of its teams in the south-west. “A joy to work with and a huge inspiration to others,” said one colleague.
CAROLYNN BAIN Carolynn Bain’s remarkable story grew out of a stark lack of books by and for Black people in Britain. She conceived and crowdfunded Brighton’s Afrori Books, which has become as much a cultural and commu- nity space as a bookshop, with clubs, festivals, exhibitions, films and more. “Carolynn has created an incredible space for positive representations… a rare gem,” said one customer.
SOPHIE PITCHES Sophie Pitches is one of the generation of booksellers who started out amid Covid-19 lockdowns. Since the end of restrictions she has helped put Whitley Bay’s the bound at the heart of its community, with great work on events, social media, window displays, Young Adult book clubs and more. As one testimonial said: “She throws herself into everything she does.”
MEGAN REES Manager at Crickhowell’s Book-ish, 2020’s Independent Bookshop of the Year, Megan Rees has cemented its renown for great service and events. She led the shop’s schools outreach, ramped up social media and led Publisher of the Month and other promos. “A consummate bookseller whose passion, commitment and enthusiasm is seemingly without limit,” said one author.
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HELEN TAMBLYN-SAVILLE The owner and manager of the Wonderland and Neverland Bookshops in Nottinghamshire (pictured) is nominated in this category for the second year in a row. She has taken Wonderland from the edge of closure to a destination shop for families, and is an indefati- gable crusader for children’s books. In 2022 she was a big champion of graphic novels in particular.
AUDE BOLECHALA Nomad Books’ manager has turned around the flagging fortunes of her shop on London’s Fulham Road in recent years, and she helped it bounce back from Covid-19 by putting on nearly 100 events last year. She is a superb hand- seller of books and a knowl- edgeable children’s specialist, encouraging reluctant or hesitant younger readers in particular.
GRÁINNE O’BRIEN As head of the children’s department at O’Mahony’s in Limerick, Ireland’s biggest indie bookshop, Gráinne O’Brien has been on a mission to inspire all young people to read for pleasure. She is a champion of local and underrepresented writing talent and her work has inspired a book of her own, A Limerick Fairytale, to be published by The O’Brien Press in May.
NAYYA RAZA Despite joining with no bookselling experience, Nayya Raza was promoted to deputy manager at Bristol indie bookhaus within a few months. An enthusiastic cura- tor of an inclusive children’s department and instrumental in building bookhaus’ reputa- tion for radical bookselling and amplifying marginalised voices, Raza also hosts events and a political reading group.
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