Date Published: 5th October 2017

It is almost here— Bookshop Day 2017. Booksellers across the UK are gearing up for a Saturday of fun and celebration on 7 October. Readers and writers across the country will be out supporting their local ‘brick and mortar’ bookshops and celebrating their place on our high streets. Join them if you can!

Alexander McCall Smith regularly accepts invitations from booksellers in the UK to talk to readers either in the shop or through a local festival. Over the years the booksellers and bookshop owners have become friends and he cherishes the opportunity to work with them and meet readers every year. His diary takes him all over the world but he always makes time for the UK booksellers.

In the run up to Bookshop Day 2017 (Sat 7 October), over the course of the last week, Alexander has travelled to Jersey (Waterstones selling for Jersey Festival of Words) and the Isle of Man (Bridge Books at the ManxLitFest), central London (Daunt books), Dulwich (Village Books), Saffron Walden (Hart’s Books), Bedford (for the Bedford International Writing Competition events), Warwick (Warwick Books), Monmouth (Rossiter Books), before travelling on to Cheltenham Festival. Two Waterstones, six very strong independents and some great festivals over the course of six days.

Talking today about independent booksellers, he commented: ”If you have an independent bookshop not far from you, you can count yourself lucky. The books you will find there are all handpicked by people who have an uncanny ability to know what their customers will like. This makes them a great temptation – but a temptation that I always give in to! Treat yourself.”

Celebrate your local Bookshop this Saturday.