Muswell Press and The Children’s Bookshop have been selected as finalists for two prestigious prizes in the publishing industry, reports Miriam Balanescu

Basu De Sarka Sanchita, owner of The Children’s Bookshop, Credit Barb Turk

Two bookish businesses in Muswell Hill have been shortlisted for coveted literary awards.

On Wednesday, 15th February, it was announced that Muswell Press was shortlisted for ‘Small Press of the Year’. Hot on its heels, The Children’s Bookshop was shortlisted for ‘Independent Bookshop of the Year’ on Friday, 17th February.

Both are part of The British Book Awards 2023 – otherwise known as ‘The Nibbies’ – which have been run by book industry trade publication The Bookseller since 1990. The awards aim to celebrate those responsible both for creating the year’s tomes and putting books into the hands of readers.

Muswell Press was founded in 2017 by Sarah and Kate Beal and publishes contemporary fiction, crime, biography and travel – with a special focus on queer fiction. The independent publisher has been shortlisted for the same award three years running.

It is on a shortlist of nine London-based finalists – out of a UK-wide total of 48 – competing against Fitzcarraldo Editions, Unbound, Cipher Press and more for a Nibbie. London, as in previous years, remains dominant in this category, with more finalists than other UK regions.

Sarah, co-owner and director at Muswell Press, said: “It makes us hugely happy to be a regional finalist. We’ve been publishing books for six years, just two of us working together. It can be tough being a small publisher, particularly in the last few years, with costs rising and incomes diminishing, but we love what we do, and we are hugely proud of our authors and the list we have grown encompassing LGBTQI+, fiction, thrillers, travel and biography. The competition is hot but we are honoured to be amongst so many brilliant fellow indies – we wish them all the best of luck.”

Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges for The British Book Awards, said: “Whether they were staking their claim to the mainstream or mining their niches, these small press finalists responded magnificently to this year’s challenges, reporting another year of exceptional sales and profit growth in the face of Brexit and escalating running costs. These publishers are reaping the rewards from dedicated and often inspirational publishing, hands-on author care and community building, showing that even in a toughened climate, grassroots book-making is alive and well.”

Meanwhile, The Children’s Bookshop, a family-owned business founded in 1974, is contending against Islington’s BookBar, Haggerston’s Burley Fisher Books and Brixton’s Round Table Books.

Sanchita Basu De Sarkar, owner of The Children’s Bookshop, said: “We have an incredibly knowledgeable and creative staff – between us we read all the thousands of books we stock – and we aim to impart joy and a love of reading in every child we meet. Over the last year, we’ve hosted huge events with Julia Donaldson, Cressida Cowell, Oliver Jeffers and Michael Rosen. We’ve visited schools all over London with book fairs, author events, library visits, and teacher training sessions. Our book clubs are sell-out events (the graphic novel club is our most hotly-anticipated session), and our weekly storytimes for little ones are oodles of interactive fun.

“We’ve championed new authors, had gallery artists paint our windows, sent books all around the world… and we’ve cherished every minute of it. Being shortlisted is really a huge thank you back to the local community and families and teachers who support us everyday!”

Tom Tivnan, The Bookseller managing editor and chair of the Independent Bookshop of the Year judges, said: “If there is one thing that has been driven home by these finalists it is that independent bookshops have been one of the winners
of the pandemic. Indies have come through what could have been a hugely devastating time for the sector in their strongest position in decades. We have seen this generally in the increased numbers of indies throughout the UK and Ireland. But we also see it more specifically in these finalists with the shops’ innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity all done in the service of local communities.”

Regional winners for the small press category will be announced on 15th March, with regional winners for independent bookshop announced on the 16th. The British Book Awards ceremony will take place on Monday, 15th May at Grosvenor House in London.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, or one-off donation.