Bookshop Day happens annually in October and will next take place on Saturday 8 October 2022. Read on to find out all about Bookshop Day and how you can get your hands on
What is Bookshop Day?
Bookshop Day is one-day nationwide celebration of all high street bookshops including independent bookshops, Blackwells, Waterstones and Foyles. The campaign aims to highlight the cultural importance of books and bookshops, and celebrate the people that bring the two together, our wonderful booksellers! Booksellers are what make our book-buying experiences so special – they are book experts, curators, community champions, bibliotherapists and matchmakers.
Bookshop Day first launched in 2013 and is run by the Booksellers Association to encourage book lovers, like you and me, to shop at our local bookshop. Every year, as part of the campaign, they create a Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag. These bags are available to purchase exclusively from bookshops; another excellent reason to visit your local bookshop on Bookshop Day! As if we needed an excuse!
The Booksellers Association are thrilled to have collaborated with one of our favourite author and illustrators, Jackie Morris on the design for the 2022 Limited-Edition Bag. Jackie’s heard-warming design features a curled-up fox, inspired by the characters of Jackie’s upcoming Accordion Books, among which Fox, which will be published on 10 November (Unbound). We can’t wait to pick ours up from the Victoria Bookshop, Haverfordwest on Saturday.
About Jackie Morris
An internationally best-selling illustrator, artist and author of over forty books, Jackie Morris has collaborated with Ted Hughes, Robin Hobb and Robert Macfarlane among others. In 2017 she won a Books Are My Bag Readers Award in the Beautiful Book category for her illustrations of The Lost Words with Robert Macfarlane. Her upcoming titles include Feather, Leaf Bark & Stone (Unbound), The Accordion Books (Unbound), Mrs Noah’s Song, illustrated by James Mayhew (Otter-Barry Books) and Something About a Bear (Otter-Barry Books).
Jackie Morris said: “As a writer I owe my career to booksellers. As a reader I love the individuality of different stores that so beautifully reflect the personalities of the staff. It is a real honour to be invited to design this year’s Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Bag, to celebrate Bookshop Day, and I hope it gives readers and lovers of books one more reason to visit their favourite bookshops this autumn.”
Emma Bradshaw, Head of Campaigns at the BA, commented: “We are so excited to team up with Jackie Morris for this year’s Limited-Edition Bag. Jackie is one of the most popular authors and illustrators among booksellers, and her tender, heart-warming design for this year’s bag is just delightful. We can’t wait to see it stocked in bookshops on Bookshop Day!”
Books Are My Bag Limited-Edition Past Bag designers:
– 2021: Dapo Adeola
– 2020: Charlie Mackesy
– 2019: Yehrin Tong
– 2018: Sir Peter Blake
– 2017: Orla Kiely
– 2016:Coralie Bickford-Smith; Fatti Burke (designed for Irish bookshops)
– 2015: Grayson Perry
– 2014: Tracy Emin
Why buy books in your local bookshop?
- You love books
- You may be about to make a purchase you’ll value for the rest of your life
- You’ll be shopping on your local high street
- You’ll be helping create local jobs
- You might just find a book you never knew existed
- You’ll find great gifts for friends and family
- You can talk to real people about books they know and love
- You’ll be part of your local book-loving community
How can I celebrate Bookshop Day?
- Find your local bookshop
- Shop with them on Saturday 9 October 2021
- Pick up the limited-edition tote bag!
- Share your book purchases on social media tagging @booksaremybag and #BookshopDay
- Tag your favourite bookshop on social media and encouraging your followers to do the same (make sure you also tag @booksaremybag and #BookshopDay!)
- Kick-start your Christmas shopping!
- Every bookshop will have its own way of celebrating Bookshop Day so make sure you find out what your local has planned – whether it is an in-store author signing, a virtual event, book club, special offers and more.
Keep up to date with the campaign at:
Where’s your favourite bookshop? Will you be visiting them on Bookshop Day?
